Wand and Dagger
by Batsutousai
Summary: The war is coming too quickly for comfort and Harry wonders if it isn't time for him to find a school that will actually teach him what he needs to learn to defeat Voldemort. NEW SCHOOL
1. The Wolves

**Title:** Wand and Dagger  
**Author:** Batsutousai  
**Beta:** Shara Lunison  
**Rating:** PG-13?  
**Pairings:** undecided, but most likely some form of SLASH  
**Warnings:** OCs, OoC  
**Summary:** The war is coming too quickly for comfort and Harry wonders if it isn't time for him to find a school that will actually teach him what he needs to learn to defeat Voldemort.

**Disclaim Her:** This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

**A/N:** I love the "new school" cliché, and have occasionally considered writing one myself, but needed an idea for it. This one was born out of a crest the lovely Shara Lunison suggested and the thought that it would be funny if Voldemort ran a school.

This, I think, will be post-OotP, pre-HBP, as that's the timeline that makes the most sense to me. This will start – for those of you who NEED to know – before they all go home for the summer at some point, after the visit to the Ministry and Sirius' death.  
Also, I KNOW Voldemort's birth name is Tom, not Thomas, and it gives me the hives when authors say otherwise, but in this story, Thomas is the name he uses in his official capacity as Headmaster, so bear with me.

-0-0-0-  
_Chapter One – The Wolves_  
-0-0-0-

Harry was practically given a concussion by the book that answered all his troubles in one fell swoop, _Wizarding Schools for the Needy_. It was, as Harry quickly learned, a book about all of the magical schools around the world and what they specialized in. Hogwarts, as it turned out, was not a school for those who wished to specialize, but rather a stepping stone to schools more advanced in a specific field. Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, it turned out, were much the same, though Durmstrang was more a stepping stone for those of the Dark, while Hogwarts and Beauxbatons leaned more towards the Light.

After much deliberation – and a week of staring at the book when he was alone – Harry finally opened the book to the page of schools specializing in magical fighting. A couple of the schools were more about duelling, while one of them just sounded bloody. Finally, at the very bottom, Harry found a school that sounded like it was _exactly_ what he was looking for.

Wand and Dagger was a school that specialized in training witches and wizards of all persuasions how to fight with and without a wand. It was almost a training ground for Aurors, though few of the alumni actually took that route.

Wand and Dagger was also year-round, which meant no Dursleys, and was so well protected that the only people that had been on the grounds were those accepted to the school by the headmaster, Thomas Gaunt.

Once he'd made his choice, Harry took the book to Hermione and brought his idea to her attention. She stared at him for a long moment with teary eyes, but agreed to help him get in if she could. Somehow, Harry even managed to get her to agree to not tell Dumbledore, and they both agreed it would probably be best not to tell Ron, especially since specialized schools such as Wand and Dagger cost a lot, and they didn't need Ron getting obnoxiously jealous two days from the end of term. Perhaps, Harry had allowed, he would mention it to their third friend over the summer. Preferably by owl.

Harry spent almost the entire train trip home silently debating whether or not he should use a fake name, as Hermione had suggested. On one hand, Wand and Dagger accepted Dark and Light wizards, and someone who entered could work for Voldemort and try to kill him. On the other hand, the book had said that there were safeties in place to keep students alive on school grounds, although one could be grievously wounded if you weren't careful, and there was nothing saying you had to _stay_ on the school grounds.

In the end, Harry decided to pick a new name; Harry Barak had been Hermione suggestion, saying that his first name was common enough, and that the last meant 'lightning' and was an ancient wizarding family that had supposedly died out centuries ago. As the train was getting near King's Cross, Harry finished up the letter to the Headmaster, then handed it to Hedwig. Now all he needed was a way to hide his scar.

As they collected the last of their things to vacate the train at the station, Hermione stopped Harry as Ron hurried ahead. "You're really going?"

Harry nodded. "I'm sorry, Hermione. I have to."

Hermione nodded with a heavy sigh. "What name are you using?"

"Harry Barak. It worked."

Hermione smiled sadly. "Thanks."

"No, Hermione, thank you," Harry said, hugging her.

Hermione pulled away after a moment, eyes bright with unshed tears. "Remember to go to Gringotts shortly, then. Right?" she demanded, referring to her earlier warning about making sure the goblins knew he would be taking an assumed name and would be transferring schools. The book he'd found had said that goblins cared about that sort of stuff, so they knew which schools they would be sending tuition to and under what name.

Harry nodded. "I remember. I'll manage."

"Hey! You two coming?" Ron called back at them from where he stood with his family on the platform.

Harry and Hermione grabbed their things and hurried over to the Weasleys. "Sorry, mate. Couldn't find my wand for a bit, there," Harry excused them. The group of Weasleys looked horrified at the idea of misplacing one's wand.

"Well," Mr Weasley said, looking oddly grim, "let's go have a word with those relatives of yours, Harry."

Harry felt a faint sense of foreboding, which nearly tripled when he saw Moody, Tonks and Lupin standing on the other side of the barrier. The three adults were eyeing the three Dursleys standing apart from them as if they were some sort of tasty snack. Oh, Harry did _not_ like where this was going.

Indeed, the group of wizards quite cheerfully threatened the three muggles against laying a hand on their nephew. And, with the look of fury on Uncle Vernon's face as they left the wizards and witches behind them, Harry knew he'd best find a real quick way of disappearing before they got home.

"I don't suppose we could just leave him in London?" Dudley asked hopefully.

While Vernon and Petunia denied the option, Harry grabbed at it desperately, "Could you? There's a little pub on Charing Cross Road for... for my kind. I can stay there for the summer and be out of your hair. Won't tell them at all. I'll be transferring to a different school, anyway..." Harry let out quickly, looking hopeful.

The three Dursleys had turned to stare at Harry in shock, just outside their car. "You _want_ to stay?" Dudley said, unable to believe it.

"But that Dumbledore said–" Petunia started.

But Harry, who still wasn't feeling that charitable with his Headmaster, shook his head. "You don't want me in your house, and I don't really want to be there. I'll be fine out here. Just need to lay low a bit."

Petunia looked between the hopeful Harry and her gleeful son and husband for a long moment before nodding her head. "Fine! But don't expect us to come picking you up!"

Harry grinned. "Wouldn't dream of it," he replied honestly.

That dealt with, they shoved Harry's trunk in the boot and all piled into the car. Once they got to Charing Cross Road, Vernon asked for some minor directions, then they left him with his things, standing in front of The Leaky Cauldron, which none of them had been able to see.

Harry nervously flattened his hair over his scar, made a note to go shopping for some way to hide it immediately, and pushed into the noisy pub. There, he checked in as Harry Barak, figuring he might as well use his new identity since he had it, and hurried up to his rented room to drop his stuff. He ran back down for a quick dinner, then returned to his room for a few plans and a fair night's rest.

-0-

The next morning, Harry got himself a breakfast downstairs and popped out to the Alley, hurrying through the creepily empty streets to Gringotts. There were no lines in front of the tellers, so Harry walked right up to one and held up his key. "I'd like to visit my vault, please. I also have some information about the continuation of my education at a different school to discuss?"

The goblin took the key and eyed Harry oddly. "Rumblestone! Please take Mr Potter to see Grivel," he called over his shoulder, handing Harry back his key. A new goblin stepped around the counter and motioned for Harry to follow him, which the boy did after nodding gratefully to the goblin behind the counter.

Rumblestone led Harry through a couple of glittering hallways, before stopping before a door and rapping on it. "Enter," was called from within, so the goblin opened the door and motioned Harry in.

"Mr Harry Potter, sir," Rumblestone said, then closed the door behind him.

Harry nervously met the eyes of the goblin across from him. This goblin looked incredibly old, and was frowning at Harry like he was a puzzle the goblin might want to set right. "What can I do for you, Mr Potter?"

Harry swallowed. "Sir, I'm currently in the process of applying to Wand and Dagger, to continue my education in my preferred field. I will be using an assumed name, however, so it seemed prudent to let you know."

The goblin waved his hand behind him a bit and a thin folder floated over to him. He opened it and placed a pair of spectacles on the end of his nose. "What is the assumed name?" he asked, presumably writing down the information Harry had just given him with a rather odd orange quill.

"Er, Harry Barak, sir. My friend said they were an old family that died off centuries ago."

"They didn't, but the last descendant was a female, and she married into the Peverell lines. As you are a descendent of the Peverells, you have some of the Barak blood. There will be no legal difficulties with your chosen name." The goblin glanced up over the spectacles. "You will let us know if you are accepted?"

"Yes, sir."

Grivel nodded and closed the file. "Is there anything else, Mr Potter?"

Harry shook his head. "Not unless you've a way of hiding curse scars, sir," he commented dully. That morning, after trying some of the concealers Hermione had borrowed from her roommates, he'd come to the conclusion that neither muggle, nor wizarding products could quite hide the bloody thing.

Grivel rose an eyebrow at the cynical tone. "I'm afraid not, Mr Potter. You might try placing a band of some sort over it. Or you could just change the shape."

Harry's ears pricked at that. "Change the shape?"

Grivel grinned nastily. "Make a new scar over the old one."

Harry grimaced. Of course, the only permanent solution to his problem included rather a bit of pain on his part. Surprise, surprise. "How would one even go about doing that?" he inquired, mostly meaning it to be rhetorical. "The way magical potions and healing spells are, it would be gone in an instant."

"So don't use a potion or a spell," Grivel replied drily. "You say your scar resists anything trying to hide it?"

"Rather effectively," Harry replied in the same tone.

"So might it also affect any change made to an equally magical scar which had been created on top of it?"

Harry's jaw dropped. Why hadn't _he_ thought of that?

Grivel looked rather satisfied by the boy's reaction. "I take it no one's ever tried to curse your forehead for you, then?" he said with a dark touch of humour.

"No," Harry replied sarcastically; he couldn't help himself. "I assume they wanted me to be recognizable when something finally did me in."

Grivel let out an eerie cackle. "Well, Mr Potter, you have in one of your vaults–"

"Sorry, _vaults_? Plural?"

Grivel gave him a slightly odd look before reopening the folder he still had on his desk and looking over it. "Ah, it says here that you weren't to receive statements or any information about your vaults until you hit your majority, due to the security risk." He hopped out of his chair and rifled through a cabinet behind the big desk. He pulled out a small stack of papers and hopped back into his chair, leaving the cabinet to close itself. He handed the papers over to Harry saying, "This is the list of your holdings, including your family vaults which, due to your guardians being muggles, you are not allowed full access to until you come of age. You are allowed to take anything worth approximately fifty galleons from those vaults once a year, however, but it is only with the understanding that you won't be getting that money deposited into your trust account that year."

Harry stared in shock at the numbers of galleons on the sheet of paper in his lap. "Is this accurate?" he practically whispered, pointing at the number, which was in the millions.

Grivel looked a little disgruntled, but seemed to understand that Harry was not doubting the goblins' counting ability. "To the last knut, yes. As those vaults are currently closed, they are updated once a year, after the money for your trust vault and any interest which has been earned throughout the year has been figured in."

Harry nodded, still not quite believing, but willing to doubt in silence. "Right. And, uhm, how much is in my trust vault right now?"

"The last sheet, Mr Potter," Grivel said with a curious amount of patience.

"Sorry," Harry mumbled, flipping to the sheet. He blinked at the number – over three thousand galleons – and did some quick figuring in his head. He knew that Wand and Dagger cost about two hundred fifty galleons a year, and the materials should come to somewhere between fifty and one hundred galleons, depending on how much stuff he already had and how hard it was to get his hands on what he needed. Three years was... a little over one thousand? He nodded to himself and grinned at Grivel. "Excellent. Thanks, sir. And, uhm, sorry, what were you saying before we got off topic?"

Grivel blinked for a moment at being so honestly thanked by a wizard – most just expected such service without a thanks – and cast his mind back to what they'd been talking about previously. "Ah, yes. In one of your family vaults, there should be a magical dagger or two, as well as some other weapons, which you might want to pick from for your school. The magical dagger would make a magical wound, which you could use to hide your scar, should you choose that route."

Harry flipped through the papers on his lap until he found the vault with the weapons in in, vault 684. "How will I know how much each weapon is worth? So I don't take out too much?" he asked, not seeing the figures for any of the weapons on the sheet.

"I will be sending you down with Rumblestone. He should be able to give you an estimate on anything you pick up. If you do, by chance, happen to go over the fifty galleon limit in finding your required school things, assuming there happens to be more in there that would help you, let one of the goblins at the front know and the extra money will be removed from your trust account."

Harry grinned again. "Wonderful."

Grivel grinned rather toothily back. "If that is all, Mr Potter?"

"Yeah, I think so. When I find out about Wand and Dagger, should I just let one of the goblins out front know, or should I come back here to tell you directly?" Harry asked, carefully folding his account information and putting it in one of his pockets.

Grivel touched a button on his desk. "Let someone out front know," he answered. Then, when there was a knock on the door, he called, "Enter!"

Rumblestone looked in. "You called, Grivel?"

Grivel nodded. "Take Mr Potter down to his trust vault as well as...." He turned to Harry for the vault number.

"Oh! 684, please."

"684, then. He wishes to find a magical dagger as well as pick out a weapon for his new school. He may need your assistance in approximating monetary worth, and he is aware of how much he is allowed to pick out before it will be taken from his trust vault."

"Understood," Rumblestone replied. "Come along, Mr Potter."

Harry hopped out of the chair with a grin. "Thank again, sir," he told Grivel, then hurried from the office to follow Rumblestone to the carts.

-0-

Fifteen galleons worth of weapons later, Harry had himself a short sword that he liked, which came with a dagger in a sheath attached to the sword's sheath. Both sword and dagger were meant to be gripped like a kitchen knife and, although Harry thought it looked funny, he felt comfortable with both weapons in his hands. They were certainly better than the one sword which he hadn't even been able to pick up. Other than a small dragon coming out of the end of the short sword's hilt, they were both very plain.

Both sword and dagger had also been cursed – which Harry had been sort of looking for – with a spell which kept the wound from healing with magical help. Harry had just about cried when Rumblestone had stated the property of the spell on the weapons, as it was exactly what he'd been looking for.

He'd also withdrawn about one hundred fifty galleons, then changed the extra fifty into muggle money, which he intended to spend on new clothing for himself.

Feeling rather pleased with himself, Harry wandered out into Diagon Alley to find it...empty. Still.

Harry considered it was probably because of Voldemort, so he sighed and made his way back towards The Leaky, figuring he might as well do his muggle shopping then.

On his way back to the pub, he noticed one shop which was bustling and practically laughed when he realized it was the Weasley twins'. He went in on a whim and had about two minutes to look around in awe before he found himself with two arms around his shoulders and a pair of grinning twins on either side.

"Harry! Mate! What brings you–"

"–to Diagon Alley at this time of year?"

"We were under the impression–"

"–that you weren't supposed to leave your home until–"

"–someone from the you know what came to get you."

Harry grimaced. "Yeah, well, things happened."

The twins traded looks over Harry's head, then forcibly led him past clusters of teenagers to their back office, waving at a young girl who was standing behind the register. Once the door was closed, the twins turned to Harry and chorused, "Spill."

Harry sighed. "Can I trust you not to tell your mum or the Order yet? And especially not Ron."

The twins traded looks again for a long minute, then turned back. "We can promise to not tell anyone unless it turns out you're endangering yourself," Fred said, George nodding next to him.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Gee, thanks for that vote of confidence." That earned him twin grins and he shook his head at them. "Okay, the Headmaster told me something after Sirius– After he died. And it made me realize that, if I'm going to survive this war, I need to learn how to fight. And with varying degrees of teachers in Defence, I won't be learning much at Hogwarts. I found a book which lists others schools, some of which specialize in certain magics. I applied to Wand and Dagger, since it specializes in defensive magic, as well as muggle means."

"Sounds reasonable to me," Fred said when Harry paused for their comments.

"Yeah. But what has that got to do with you being here?" George agreed.

Harry grimaced. "After what everyone said to Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia, I decided it was better to wait in Diagon Alley than it would have been to go home. Uncle Vernon looked ready to kill me," he added at their confused look. "Anyway, Wand and Dagger is a year-round school, so I'll probably be leaving for it soon enough. Easier to stay here so I can get my shopping done right away, than it would have been to ask Uncle Vernon to drive me in."

The twins both sighed. "I suppose that's a good reason," Fred decided.

"But you know it's not safe for you, especially, to be out in the open right now?"

Harry nodded. "I know. I'm going to Wand and Dagger under an assumed name, and used that to sign in at The Leaky. And I'm working on a way to hide my scar."

"Oh? What have you got in mind?" Fred asked while George glanced around their workroom for something.

"Well, Grivel, the goblin who I spoke with about my changing schools, suggested making a new scar on top of it. To disguise it."

"Clever," Fred agreed. "Do you know what with?"

Harry pulled his new dagger out of its sheath and held it up for inspection. "It's charmed so any cut it makes must heal on its own, without magic."

"Ooooh..." Fred took the dagger and promptly cast a few spells at it curiously.

George rolled his eyes at his brother, then pulled Harry over to something on one of the tables. "Okay, but you _do_ know how hard it is to scar your face, right? And not just because of how much it would hurt. When you first defeated You-Know-Who, there were a number of crazy parents who tried giving their kids scars like yours – bit of a fad for a while there – and it often ended in failure, because the wound healed cleanly, even when they were left to heal without magic."

Harry sighed. "Bugger. Well, any better ideas, then?"

George grinned and picked up a curious looking metal contraption. "We could brand you!"

Harry closed his eyes and wished for patience. "George..."

"No, really, it would work."

"And we can immediately get rid of the pain," Fred added, handing Harry back his dagger.

"Why, exactly, are you two so helpful?" Harry asked drily as he put the dagger away.

The twins traded nervous looks and Fred said, "We made this a few weeks ago, to burn protective runes onto the body magically, but we've been leery of trying it on each other, in case something goes wrong, and no one else will allow us to do it to them."

"Okay, just because I have to know, what do you expect to go wrong?" Harry asked with a sigh.

"Part of this creation is its ability to immediately numb any pain it causes and the burn is supposed to heal within the hour," George explained.

"If the numbing and healing spells don't kick in when they're supposed to, we want to have both of us there to fix it, rather than just one of us," Fred finished.

Harry considered the contraption for a long minute before asking, "What sort of runes?"

The twins grinned. "Did you have one in mind?" they asked together.

Harry thought back to the brief lesson he had with Hermione and Ron one evening this past year when she decided they should know some runes, since they were both so bored. They had both complained a bit about having to learn anything when they weren't in class, but partway through, Harry had found himself enjoying the lesson. "Uhm, Algiz, I think it was? Looked like a pitchfork."

"Hermione?" the twins inquired.

Harry grinned. "Hermione."

George sorted through a pile of stone tablets while Fred conjured a fluffy chair. "You're absolutely sure?" he asked as Harry took the offered seat.

Harry took a deep breath and practically strangled his Gryffindor bravery. "Yeah," he said.

Fred nodded and took the stone from George, who then took up a stance next to Harry and pulled his bangs away from the scar. Once the stone was in the right way, Fred held it against Harry's forehead. After a deep breath of his own, Fred hit the trigger.

Harry felt only the briefest of pains in his scar before the numbing spell took over, and he let out a breath of relief. When Fred pulled the gadget away, he was grinning, and Harry knew George was as well.

"How does it feel?" Fred asked, while George picked up a mirror from one of the tables and handed it to Harry.

"Numb," Harry responded to the twin, then took a look in the mirror. The mark was still red and looked like it would hurt a fair bit if he'd been able to feel it, but otherwise it was perfect. Fred had managed to make the long part of the rune match up with the lightning bolt, so it looked like the same mark, with slightly serrated edges. He grinned up at the two hopeful twins. "It's brilliant."

Bright grins met the proclamation.

"So, are you going to keep me here for an hour to make sure it heals?" Harry asked when George took the mirror back.

"We might as well let you wander the shop while you wait," Fred decided.

"But we would like you to stay in the shop for the next hour, so we know you're okay," George finished.

"Maybe we can find something for you to use on your new schoolmates," Fred commented, helping Harry up from the chair and leading him back out into the shop.

"Oh, no, the _last_ thing I need to do is give you _more_ money," Harry replied with a teasing smile.

Fred grinned. "Mate, _because_ you funded this place, everything's free. We're making enough money without getting handed more of yours."

Harry blushed faintly at that. "You're sure? I mean–"

"Harry, you can't talk us out of this," Fred told him firmly. "We're decided. Now, let me show you some things you might be interested in..."

-0-

An hour later, Harry's rune had healed over perfectly. He'd also found an assortment of new toys, including a Shield Hat in the form of a muggle beanie, a pack of Bruise-remover paste, two Extendable Ears, a couple Self-Inking Quills, a self-updating catalogue and a bottomless bag to hold everything in. There were a couple of other things he'd seriously considered getting, but had decided not to clean the twins out all at once. Considering they'd pulled a promise from him to visit every few days, Harry figured that he'd have plenty of time to get anything else he might want.

Finally free from the twins' clutches, Harry hurried back to The Leaky through the empty streets and put all but the new hat away in his room. Then he went out into muggle London with his two hundred fifty pounds and found a clothing store that looked reasonable. He bought a number of new clothing and cheerfully walked out with in a new outfit, telling the clerk who had helped him that she was welcome to incinerate his old clothing.

Feeling far better in the busier streets and in new clothing, Harry took what was left of his money and bought himself some lunch and wandered around the shops a bit, spending his money rather freely for the first time in his life.

He didn't return to The Leaky until the shops in muggle London started to close. He had dinner in the dining room and then, wishing Tom a good night, hopped off to bed.

-0-

Harry spent the next week going over the papers from Gringotts and paging through the Wheezes' catalogue and marking things he thought he might like to have. However, when Hedwig flew in the window with a letter attached, all thoughts of money and fun flew from Harry's mind.

"Hey, girl. Is that from Wand and Dagger, then?" he asked Hedwig as he took the letter. She nipped his ear affectionately and flew over to her perch for food and water. Harry smiled after her, then opened the letter.

_'Mr Harry Barak,  
'Thank you for your consideration of our institution. It is my pleasure to let you know that we are accepting you into Wand and Dagger. Term begins on August 1st. Attached is a list of classes. You must take at least four – most students choose the four required classes, and take Magical Duelling in their last year instead of Healing – and at most six. Send your choices back to me by owl before July 25th. Your booklist will then be owled to you with a portkey, which will activate on the morning of July 31st and bring you to the gate of the school.  
'Also, please be warned that there are non-humans among the students and staff. If this makes you uncomfortable, this is not the school for you.  
'Wishing you the best,  
'Thomas Gaunt  
'Headmaster and Founder'_

Harry put down the letter for a moment so he could hop around and cheer about getting accepted. Once he had the glee out of his system, he pulled out the second parchment and looked over his options:

_'**Classes:**  
'Defensive Magics (required) – 3 year class  
'Physical Combat (required) – 3 year class  
'Dark Magics (required to take this or Light Magics) – 3 year class  
'Light Magics (required to take this or Dark Magics) – 3 year class  
'Healing (required) – 2 year class  
'Blood Magic – 3 year class  
'Runes and Rituals – 2 or 3 year class  
'Death Magic – 1 year class – must take 2 years of Runes and Rituals  
'Potions – 3 years  
'Elemental Magics – 2 year class – must have ability  
'Magical Duelling – 1 year class_

_'Please mark your chosen classes for this year and owl this part back.  
'Thank you.'_

Harry grinned at the list and immediately marked the four required classes, picking Light Magics over Dark Magics. He paused to consider whether or not he wanted to take another class, considering it wasn't required, and finally decided to take Runes and Rituals, since he had enjoyed learning about the runes from Hermione. He also briefly considered trying to see if he could take Elemental Magics, but figured that, if he had any elemental abilities, they probably would have surfaced already.

Done, he wandered over to Hedwig and held the parchment out to her. "You up for another trip, girl?"

Hedwig hooted in the affirmative and let Harry tie the parchment to her leg before taking off.

Harry sighed and picked up his bag of galleons. Might as well go out and get some books about runes and healing now, since he didn't know much of anything about those two classes.

-0-

The morning of his birthday, Harry woke with a smile. The night before, he'd gotten a pile of presents from his friends, including the third worried letter from Dumbledore that month, asking where he was. In two hours, his portkey would activate and he would be on his way to his new school.

Feeling quite happy with the world, Harry practically danced out of bed and into the bathroom. He'd already told Tom he'd be taking a portkey that morning, so he finished packing up all his things, handed Hedwig a letter for Dumbledore, and lugged his trunk downstairs. He handed his room key over to Tom, let the man cast a shrinking charm on his trunk, and ordered a quick breakfast.

When promised time came, Harry stood from his booth, waved to Tom, and let himself be whisked away by the small stone that was his portkey.

When Harry opened his eyes – when had he closed them? – he found himself in a group of two boys and two girls. In front of them stood a smiling tall man with neat black hair. Behind him, there was a gate, which surrounded a huge building with, as far as Harry could see, a middle section and two wings pointed out diagonally on either side of the walkway to the door that went from the gate to the middle section of the school.

"Welcome to Wand and Dagger," the smiling man before them said. "I am Thomas Gaunt. If you'll follow me, we can get you set up in your rooms and introduced to your other professors."

"Sir?" a slightly insane looking girl asked. "Is this all of us?"

Gaunt smiled a little sadly. "Indeed. Your class is the largest we've had in years. Only bested by the class of 1964, which had eight students. This school has always been small, more so since the fall of the Dark Lord. Now, if you will follow me?"

The group of students followed the Headmaster into the main building, where they found that there were another two wings, two more doors outside, a Floo connection, and a spiral staircase up to the second floor and down to a basement. Also in the atrium were a group of adults.

Gaunt looked over the professors, then sighed. "Where's John?" he asked in a voice that said he was well used to this.

There was an explosion from somewhere upstairs and one of the other professors helpfully added, "In his classroom, Thomas."

Gaunt shook his head and walked over to the spiral staircase. There, he cast _sonorus_ on himself and called up the stairs, "JOHN SMITH!"

There were a couple of thuds, the faint sound of someone running, and then, "Yeah?"

Gaunt cancelled the spell on himself. "The first years are here," he said, then quickly stepped back from the stairs.

A brown-haired man in a muggle suit slid down the banister and hopped off, grinning madly. "Sorry I'm late!"

Gaunt shook his head and walked back to the students, while Smith walked over to a grey eyed man and dropped a hand over his shoulders, cheerfully ignoring all attempts to shake him off. "These will be your professors for the next three years," Gaunt told the five students. "Professors, your names and what you teach."

A man who looked vaguely familiar to Harry stepped forward first. "Rodolphus Lestrange," he said coldly. "I'll be teaching Dark Magics." Harry bit his lip to keep from saying anything.

"Ammon," said a man with golden blond hair. "I teach Blood Magic."

A red haired man who reminded Harry of Ron's family stepped forward next. "Gaur. I teach Physical Combat."

"Alonzo Ambrosi," said the man who Smith was leaning on. He had an Italian accent. "I teach both Magical Duelling and Defensive Magics."

"Lia Eveningfair," said a woman with pointed ears and silver eyes. "I teach Elemental Magics."

"John Smith," said the man from earlier. "I blow up – er, _teach_ Potions." The students all snorted a bit at that, making him grin even wider.

"Sally Doe," said a chilly woman with a faint French accent. "I teach Healing."

"Kugan," whispered a heavily cloaked person. "I teach Death Magic."

"Eliza Gygax," finished a sharp-eyed woman with greying hair. "I teach Light Magics."

Gaunt nodded. "And I will be teaching Runes and Rituals. Now then, down here on our left, past the fireplace are your rooms. There are study rooms above them, which are open for you at all times. On this side of the fireplace are your professors' offices and private rooms. Above this hall are the classrooms. On your right, in the back, is the library, which takes up two floors. You can access it from both floors. This last hallway has the dining room on this floor and a common room with games and a muggle telly on the second floor. The basement is where you will have any duelling classes and Physical Combat. There are also greenhouses out the doors directly across from us, which you may work in if you wish, but it is not required.

"Now then, let's get you some rooms. Staff, you are dismissed."

"Allons-y, Alonzo!" Smith shouted, then proceeded to half-drag a despairing Ambrosi towards their offices.

Gaunt shook his head at his errant professor and led the way down the hallway with the student rooms. "Your names are on the doors. Ladies on the left, gentlemen on the right, please."

Harry quickly spotted his own room and was about to go in when he realized the last name of the boy on his left. "Longbottom?" he said. When the boy looked over at him curiously, Harry asked, "You wouldn't happen to be related to Neville, would you?"

The boy shrugged. "Yeah. He's my cousin. Why?"

"Went to Hogwarts with him. Harry Barak, by the way," Harry said, holding out a hand.

The boy grinned and took his hand. "Arcturus Longbottom. Pleased to meet you."

"Rooms, gentlemen. You'll have plenty of time to chatter later," Gaunt ordered.

Arcturus and Harry traded smiles, then opened their doors and walked in.

In his room, Harry found a canopy bed with white sheets and light brown wood. On the right side of the room were two doors, and a curious glance found one to be a bathroom with all the amenities and the other to be a large closet with a dresser for his socks and underclothes. A window showed a view of the greenhouses. Against the left wall, closest to the door, there was a desk with a muggle desk lamp and a reasonably comfortable rolling chair, with a large bookcase next to it.

Out in the hall, Gaunt called, "You've two hours to unpack your things and get settled in. Lunch will be served in the dining room then. After lunch, you will be getting a full tour of the school, and then the upper years will be returning."

Harry pulled out his trunk with a grin and enlarged it. This was going to be a fun year.

-0-0-0-

-0-0-0-

**A/N:** Questions? Comments? Write a review!

~Bats ^.^x


	2. The First Day

**Title:** Wand and Dagger  
**Author:** Batsutousai  
**Beta:** Shara Lunison  
**Rating:** PG-13?  
**Pairings:** undecided, but most likely some form of SLASH  
**Warnings:** OCs, OoC  
**Summary:** The war is coming too quickly for comfort and Harry wonders if it isn't time for him to find a school that will actually teach him what he needs to learn to defeat Voldemort.

**Disclaim Her:** Yes, John Smith is who you think he is. And I don't own him, he owns himself. (As evidenced by how he managed to write himself into this story.) We're still fighting over whether or not he's allowed a blue police box in his office.

**A/N:** A few reviewers asked how no one managed to recognize Harry, since there are pictures of him in the _Prophet_ all the time and such, and his black hair and green eyes usually giving him away. The quick answer is that Harry doesn't _like_ pictures, and his picture-self generally avoids staying in the photo if he can, or hiding if he can't. (Please note, at this point in time, these are the only public pictures of Harry. No chocolate frog cards. -wink- ) Also, most people look for the scar, which Harry's disguised – and hidden under the beanie. The same can be said for his hair. Also, while most people – including myself – often make Harry's eyes an unusual shade of green, I don't intend for that to be so in this story. So he just looks like any teen with a muggle beanie, green eyes, and a pair of old glasses. (It also helps, of course, that most people don't expect to see Harry Potter at The Leaky or in Diagon Alley that early in the summer.)

-0-0-0-  
_Chapter Two – The First Day_  
-0-0-0-

The dining room was a major change from Hogwarts, Harry realized as soon as he stepped inside. There was one long table, where the students and the professors sat together. Along the back wall, next to a door that Harry assumed led to the kitchens, there was a buffet table, where a couple of the professors were already getting their food.

When Harry had paused for too long, Arcturus grabbed his arm and dragged him over to the buffet. "Get food, then stare, Harry," he ordered, then grabbed a plate. Harry wasn't far behind him and the two managed to fill their plates easily.

Once the two had taken seats away from the professors, Harry commented, "This is _nothing_ like Hogwarts."

"Nor like Durmstrang," Arcturus agreed.

"Not like Beauxbatons, either," the third boy in their years said, sitting across from them. "Jacob Ashe, by the way."

"Harry Barak," Harry offered with a nod.

"Arcturus Longbottom," Arcturus added. "It should be interesting here, at least."

"I know. I mean, first impression includes a professor sliding down the banister," Jacob agreed cheerfully. "I can't wait for Potions."

"Almost makes me wish I'd taken it," Harry commented.

"You had Snape?" Arcturus asked. When Harry nodded, he winced. "I'm sorry. No wonder you decided not to take the class. Aunt Augusta is always complaining about how he treats Nev."

"Yeah, Snape treats him horrible. All of the Gryffindors, really. Drives my best mate nuts."

The other two boys laughed.

One of the girls in their class, the brunette who looked at little off, sat down next to Arcturus. "Longbottom," she said neutrally.

"Carrow," Arcturus replied in the same tone.

The girl looked around at Harry and Jacob, while the other girl from their year sat down next to Jacob. "I'm Kathy Carrow. Pureblood." She flipped her hair a bit in a way that reminded Harry of Pansy Parkinson.

"Harry Barak," Harry replied in introduction.

"And?" Kathy demanded. "Your blood status?"

Harry blinked. "Erm, half?"

Kathy sneered at him, then turned to Jacob and the other girl. "And you two?"

"Jacob Ashe. I suppose I'm muggle-born."

Kathy looked horrified. "They let your kind in here?"

"Oh, give it up, Carrow," Arcturus grumbled. "It's not like they asked your blood status or anything when you applied. Hell, they didn't even ask your species."

Kathy sneered at Arcturus, then turned to the other girl. "Please tell me you're a proper witch?"

The other girl smiled openly, showing a row of razor-sharp teeth. "I'm not even fully human."

Kathy squeaked and hurriedly moved away from the group to sit closer to the teachers.

The three boys grinned at the white-haired girl. "That was brilliant," Harry told her.

She nodded her head faintly. "Thank you. I'm Pearl, by the way."

"What kind of creature are you?" Jacob asked. "If you don't mind. Sorry."

Pearl shook her head. "I'm half glaistig. A water fey. I'm not sure how I feel about being taught elemental magic by an elf, though. My people don't like her kind." She looked rather depressed at that.

"You're taking Elemental Magics?" Arcturus asked. When Pearl nodded, he grinned outright. "Excellent! I am too. I was beginning to think I was the only person in our year taking it."

"Eh? You can use elemental magic?" Jacob asked.

Arcturus nodded. "The Longbottom line has a history of earth elementals. I'm not as strong as my cousin, Neville," he nodded to Harry, who smiled fondly at the mention of the plant-loving Gryffindor, "but I can hold my own with it. Neville even wanted to come here, but he said that he was dreadful at Defence until this past year. Something about a club his friend started?" He glanced over at Harry.

Harry grimaced. "Yeah, Potter started the DA last year, because Umbridge was so bad. It got ended in April when Umbridge found out, though."

"Were you a member?" Jacob asked curiously.

Harry shrugged. "I went to a few meetings."

"Wow. Imagine, right under Umbridge's nose..." Jacob sighed wistfully.

"I sense a lack of fondness for the Creature-Hater," Pearl teased, smiling faintly.

"Anyone who _doesn't_ hate her, is nuts," Harry declared.

The other three laughed at that and they all quickly tucked in to their lunches when they caught Gaunt watching them with a raised eyebrow.

When all the first years were done, and most of the professors had escaped to their offices, Gaunt stood and said, "Excellent. If you five would follow me, we can get this tour under way."

When they left the dining room, Gaunt led them to the professors' offices and private rooms. He showed them where each office was and said, "You're expected to come to your professors during your free time during the week or after dinner for any extra help. You have Fridays free to do any make-up work or ask for help in any of your lessons if you need it. You may come by on weekends for help, if there isn't time on Friday or during the week, but it's generally frowned on."

Gaunt then led them to the, admittedly, amazing library. There were small tables on the first floor for studying, and all of the walls were taken up with bookcases. Rolling ladders sat against each wall, and a spiral staircase went between the two floors next to the door. "Unlike your previous schools," Gaunt told them, "you are allowed to take any book from here and to your room without checking it out. We don't have money to fund a librarian, however, so this listing of where general sections are will have to do." He pointed to a large sign next to the stairs with the various subjects and where they were on it. "We do have a spell to record which student has how many books out, and you are expected to return them all before going home for summer holidays." Harry frowned faintly. He'd thought they didn't have a summer holiday. Or, at least, they weren't expected to go home for it.

Then he led them up the staircase and onto the second floor. There, he walked into the hallway above their rooms, where another hallway was lined with doors. "These are all study rooms. Each room has sound-proofing spells on it. A few of them have wireless radios in them, for those of you who like to listen to music while you work."

He led them next to the hallway above the teachers' wing. "All of these rooms are classrooms. Each room has which class it's for next to it. You will only find your professors in these rooms during class times. Except Professor Smith; he likes to blow things up during his free time." All but Kathy chuckled at that, and she just sniffed. Gaunt grinned at them knowingly.

Gaunt then led them to the huge common room, where they were met by a tiny red dragon, who flew up to Gaunt and demanded attention. Gaunt smiled at the creature and scratched it between its ears. "This is Mokkun. He's a pseudodragon, and the school pet, of a sorts. Professor Ammon brought him back from somewhere a couple years ago. Treat him well, please. He lives here in the common room.

"In here, other than Mokkun, we have muggle and magical games of all sorts. There is also a wireless and a muggle telly, for those who want them. Yes, Miss Carrow?"

Kathy smiled sweetly at Gaunt. "Sir, why are there _muggle_ things in a magical school?" she asked, making muggle sound like a bad word.

Gaunt cocked an eyebrow at her. "Because I like them. Any other questions, Miss Carrow?"

"Yeah," Kathy replied nastily. "Are you a muggleborn?"

"I'm a half-blood," Gaunt replied coldly. "And I warn you now to watch your tongue, Miss Carrow, or I _will_ curse it off."

Harry winced slightly as his scar twinged, and he tugged on his beanie, making sure it covered the disguising rune.

"Yes, sir," Kathy said through gritted teeth.

Gaunt nodded, then led them out of the common room and all the way down the stairs to the basement, which turned out to be a huge open space, rather than having wings. Around the perimeter, was what looked to be a track. On one side of the staircase, there was a bunch of muggle exercise equipment. On the opposite side, were a bunch of mats and what seemed to be a shed. In between the mats and equipment were two duelling platforms, with the stairs between them. Each platform had a magical shield around it and spectator stands on one side.

"Down here is where you will have your Physical Combat sessions each morning," Gaunt continued. "Gaur will have you running laps, then either working with your chosen physical weapon or working on the equipment. When you get to third year, if you choose to take Magical Duelling, your classes will be held down here on the duelling platforms. Now then, let's go outside." He led them back upstairs, then out the door across from the Floo connection, where there was a small pond and some picnic benches. "You may spend your free time out here. There is a magical grill over there, and if you ask at the kitchen, the house elves will happily give you something to cook on it, or a picnic lunch, if you wish. Please don't fish in the pond, but you may swim in it, just try and keep it clean.

"Now," Gaunt continued, leading them back into the school and out the door to the greenhouses. "As I said earlier, these are the greenhouses. You don't have to ever enter foot into them, but we'd all be pleased if you wish to help out with them once and a while. I believe Professor Smith may have his Potions students out here at times, to collect fresh ingredients, but other than that and the occasional Elemental Magics class, you need never set foot out here. Out of curiosity, which of you are likely to come out here and work in the greenhouses?"

Arcturus and Pearl immediately rose their hands and Harry, after some deliberation, joined them. Jacob smiled and shook his head, while Kathy sneered at the greenhouses in disgust.

Gaunt smiled at the three students. "Mr Longbottom and Miss Pearl, I know you're both planning to take Elemental Magics. Mr Barak?"

Harry shrugged, feeling uncomfortable with the attention on him. "I do some of the gardening at home. Didn't much like it at school in Herbology, but I figure I might as well see how it is here. It not being required and all."

"Excellent. I always enjoy having students willing to try things out a bit. Now! On the other side of your wing, there is a small forest. You're allowed to go in there, and if you wish to fly on a broom you may have brought with you, that's where you need to go, as this is a muggle neighbourhood, and we don't have spells up to keep them from seeing flying broomsticks. Alas." Gaunt grinned at them, and received four grins and one scowl back. "Okay! You've got about an hour before the upper years arrive. You can do practically anything you want until then, but you're expected in the atrium when the upper years get here, so you can meet each other."

"Professor?" Jacob asked as Gaunt turned to leave them.

"Yes, Mr Ashe?" Gaunt replied, turning back to the student.

"When will we know the schedules of our classes?"

"Ah, forgive me. The class schedule is posted at the end of your wing, on both floors, as well as at the end of the hallway where the classrooms are. All three years share the same classes, since the classes are so small, so you'll be having classes with second and third years as well as with each other. The older years will be learning different things, of course, but you'll be sharing the same teacher."

"Thanks, sir," Jacob said, smiling.

"That'll take some getting used to," Arcturus commented as Gaunt walked back into the building, Kathy on his heels. "Well, I'm going to take a look at the greenhouses. Harry?"

Harry glanced over and saw Pearl already walking into one of the four greenhouses. "Sure. Jacob?"

Jacob grimaced. "Plants aren't my thing, sorry, guys. I think I might go check out the telly, though."

"Okay. See ya, Jacob!" Harry and Arcturus called, then turned together to look at the greenhouses.

Harry was quite pleased to find that one of the houses had normal fruits and vegetables – Aunt Petunia had a vine of tomatoes and some strawberry plants that occasionally had to be cut back, which Harry had often been able to steal some food from as a kid – and he practically skipped inside. Meanwhile, Arcturus found Pearl in the greenhouse with some minor potions ingredients and joined her at checking the plants over.

After an hour of picking out weeds from the fruits and vegetables, Harry was dragged from the greenhouses by an amused Pearl. Arcturus, looking like he'd also been dragged out, joined them as they walked inside, where they found a haughty Kathy and a grinning Jacob waiting for them next to Gaunt. They all turned to the Floo, where, one at a time, seven students popped out.

Harry thought he might recognize two of the older girls from Hogwarts, and they turned out to be Susan Fawcett, a Ravenclaw a year above him, and Sally-Anne Perks, a Hufflepuff who'd been in his year and transferred the year before.

Among the other students were an angry-looking young woman named Andrea Greyback; a sharp-eyed boy who acted rather like Draco Malfoy, named Rick Rosier; a quiet girl with purple hair named Rosalind Mamo; and two boys who were holding hands and exact opposites in colouring – as well as species, from what Harry could see – named Rai Hirayama and Ren Miyazaki. The older students went to put their things away, while the first years were led into the dining hall by the Headmaster.

-0-

"Who decided it was a good idea to make us get up at the butt-crack of dawn?" Jacob grumbled as he sat down across from Harry and Arcturus, both of whom were morning people. (Though, really, Harry was just an insomniac, but he wasn't going to tell his new friends that.)

"Gaur did," said one of the opposing second year boys from two nights ago; Harry thought it was Ren, since he had the lighter colouring. "From what some of last year's third years were saying, the professor before him held the class in the evening. Gaur likes to use it to wake us up, though. I'm Ren Miyazaki, by the way. I know how the introductions go a little over your head, and since none of us really interacted yesterday..." He grinned winningly.

"Cheers," Jacob said, then put his head down on the table tiredly.

Harry laughed. "I'm Harry Barak. The sleepy one is Jacob Ashe."

"And I'm Arcturus Longbottom," Arcturus added, then popped a piece of banana in his mouth.

The other boy, Rai, sat down next to Ren looking absolutely disgusted with the world. "The pickings this morning are shit, and morning classes suck. Might I go back to bed?" He glanced over at Ren, then seemed to notice the three first years, who were all looking at him oddly. "Ah, hello firsties."

Ren laughed and kissed Rai's cheek, earning him a light swat. "You'll have to excuse him," he told the other three boys. "Rai's part incubus, so he's nocturnal."

"I bet that's fun in bed," Jacob muttered, making Arcturus spit out a second piece of banana into Harry's mostly empty bowl of cereal.

"Jacob!" Arcturus shouted, while Harry and Ren laughed. Rai watched them all through tired eyes, though an amused smile twitched on his lips.

Jacob smiled at Arcturus apologetically, then asked, "What's after lunch? I forgot to look."

"Defensive Magics and Blood Magic," Rai and Arcturus replied as one. Then the two gave each other funny looks while the other three laughed at them.

"Down we go, kiddies!" Gaur called from the head of the table as he stood. The twelve students spread out around the table all groaned, but stood obediently and followed their professor down to the basement, where they were all told to run until they couldn't anymore.

The girls in Harry's year both managed about one circuit, while Harry and Arcturus managed about two and a half. Jacob ran about four circuits, and the upper years just kept going while the first years staggered over to where Gaur was shaking his head at them.

"You two, Stuck-up and Water-Girl, get working on those machines. I expect you both to manage at _least_ two laps by the end of the month. Beanie and Plant-Boy, you two need to make it to four by the end of the month. Get on those machines. And you, Curly–"

"Jacob Ashe, sir," Jacob corrected him.

"If I want to call you Curly, I'll call you Curly. Got it, Curly?"

"Yes, sir," Jacob whispered.

"Good. Curly, I want you running with the second years end of the month. Get to that equipment."

The five first years all picked a piece of muggle equipment and helped each other figure out what it was – except Kathy, who would accept help from no one and simply ignored any of their help. When Gaur went to harp on the upper years, Jacob muttered, "What a jerk."

Pearl, who was listening to Gaur yell at the upper years, commented, "Sounds like he does it to everyone, though."

"Still..."

"Hey, Harry?" Arcturus asked between gasping breaths.

"Yeah?"

"Why _do_ you always wear that beanie?"

Harry grimaced. "It's got a permanent Shield Charm on it, and I'm paranoid. Anyway, my hair's a rat's nest. Always."

"There better not be talking over there, first years!"

The four first years groaned while Kathy smirked and returned to their exercising in silence.

-0-

"Alright, what's he dubbed you, then?" Ren asked as he took his seat next to the three first year boys. Pearl had returned to eating by herself, and Kathy was sitting as far away from her year mates as she could possibly get.

"Well, Arcturus is Plant-Boy, Harry's Beanie, and I'm Curly, for some reason," Jacob supplied.

"Maybe because your _hair_ is curly," Arcturus suggested drily.

"It is?" Jacob looked genuinely surprised and he tugged forward a lock of his long, curly brown hair to check. "Huh. What do you know."

"You honestly don't even know what your own hair looks like?" Ren asked, aghast. When Jacob just shrugged, Ren shook his head. "First years."

"What does he call you, then?" Harry asked curiously as Rai took his normal seat next to Ren.

"Priest-Boy," Ren said with a grimace, holding out the cross he always wore. "Which I'm not. Not even religious."

"They had a _long_ argument about that the first day," Rai commented. "Nearly a fist-fight, but Gaunt showed up and talked them down. Now Gaur calls him that just to see if he can rile him up, I think."

"What about you, Rai?" Arcturus asked. "What's he call you?"

"Claws," Rai said with an evil smirk as he flexed a hand full of wicked claws.

"He was originally going to call him Sex Fiend," Ren told them quietly. "But Gaunt told him that could be viewed as sexual harassment, so he had to pick a new name."

The three first years snickered to themselves and glanced up the table at Gaur, who smiled toothily at them.

"He's not so bad, once you get past the nicknames," Ren commented.

"I guess not," Harry agreed, watching as their teacher turned to Ammon and struck up a cheerful discussion.

-0-

As soon as everyone was in the room, Ambrosi stood from behind his desk. "Right. Third years, ward a section of the room and have an all-out. Last one standing faces me when I'm done with the lower years. Second years, start with basic shield charms and work your way up. First years..." He walked over to where the five first years had clustered to one side. "Let's see. How many of you know you can cast the shield charm accurately?"

Harry and Kathy rose their hands, then glared at each other.

Ambrosi sighed. "How many of you can at least _cast_ it?"

Jacob and Arcturus rose their hands sheepishly.

"Okay, Ashe I can understand, but _Longbottom_? Didn't you go to Durmstrang?"

"I'm crap with shield charms," Arcturus explained honestly.

"How did you survive that place? No, that was rhetorical. Pearl, do you at least know what a shield charm is?"

"Yes, sir," Pearl said softly. "My people simply don't use them, since invisibility is natural to us. I know the spell and the theory, but I've never tried to cast it."

Ambrosi shook his head. "First years. Okay! You brought paper and writing utensils with you?" When the five students nodded, Ambrosi turned to the board and started writing out notes for them to copy down, while speaking them out loud. It was all basic theory behind the shield charm and the history behind the spell, but the group of students dutifully copied it down.

Suddenly, one of the second year girls shouted, "Heads up!" and a bright orange spell bounced off Harry and dissipated against the wall, just barely missing Kathy's head.

The second years and Ambrosi all turned to give Harry surprised looks, while Jacob and Arcturus cracked up.

"Barak, would you care to explain that little miracle?" Ambrosi said after a long moment.

Harry, blushing madly, pointed at his hat. "It's got a shield charm worked in, sir. Got it from Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes this summer in a moment of paranoia."

"Huh." Ambrosi scratched his head. "Well, don't wearing it while practising spells, but you can wear it while taking notes. Now!" and he returned to his notes.

-0-

"You know, Harry, you look really familiar without that beanie," Arcturus mentioned while the three first year boys were laying about in the common room during their break before dinner.

"I know," Harry said with a heavy sigh. "Like Harry Potter, right?" he asked, having already thought up an excuse in case anyone asked the question.

"Yeah, just a bit. I mean, there aren't any accurate pictures of him or anything, but from what you can see of that picture from the TriWizard Tournament, you look awfully similar."

Harry grimaced. "My aunt says my mum was nutters," he explained, sending a silent apology to Lily. "I already had black hair because of her, and green eyes because of my dad. She just spelled my hair to always stay exactly like Potter's. And tried to give me a lightning bolt scar." He rolled his eyes. "Looked horrible. Got a rune over it a couple of summers ago to cover the bloody thing up." So saying, he pulled off the beanie and showed them the rune.

"Wicked," Jacob crowed. "I want one, too!" So saying, he closed his eyes and suddenly had the same rune in the middle of his forehead.

Harry and Arcturus stared at him. "Jacob, are you a metamorphmagus or something?" Harry asked.

Jacob blinked, then blushed faintly. "Oh, ah, no. I'm a changling."

"What's that?" Harry asked.

"A changling is the ancestor of the metamorphmagus. They can change themselves into practically anything, male or female," Arcturus explained.

"Oh."

"Except it has to be vaguely human-like and have about the same body mass. I can't do a centaur, say, or a dwarf. My father, who's a doppelganger, can do either form without any problems," Jacob added.

"That's kinda cool, you know," Harry commented, noticing the sad glint in Jacob's green eyes. "At least that explains why you didn't know what your hair looked like."

Jacob grinned. "Rather. I think it used to be shorter and straight, but I can't keep track. My hair likes to change in the mornings and I never really care to check it anymore."

"That's like me with this rat's nest," Harry agreed, referring to his own hair. "I don't even bother trying to make it behave anymore, since I know it won't."

"We could probably try and break the spell on your hair, you know," Arcturus commented. "Then you could grow it out with a potion or something. It would make it behave _and_ you'd look less like Potter."

"You know, it doesn't help that you have the same first name," Jacob added cheerfully.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Tell me about it."

Arcturus snorted. "Library?"

Harry let out a quiet groan, but got to his feet. "Yeah, let's go. Might as well see what we can find." Harry considered it might as well be worth a chance, since his hair had never stayed the way his aunt had cut it when he was a kid, anyway. Who knew, maybe there _was_ a spell on his hair.

-0-

Ren found them in the library thirty minutes before dinner. "What's up, you lot?" he asked, looming over their shared patch of floor, where they had a number of books spread out.

"Trying to find a spell to counteract the one on Harry's hair," Arcturus muttered. After a fair bit of searching, they had been able to verify there was a spell on Harry's hair keeping it the way it was, but it was an advanced charm and Harry figured his mum had done it, since she'd been the one good with charms.

"Where's your shadow?" Jacob asked, happy to have an excuse to get away from the books for a moment.

"Blood Magic. What sort of spell's on your hair, Harry?"

"Really advanced charm to keep it from changing. Figure if we can get it off, people will stop mistaking me for Harry Potter," Harry muttered, absorbed in a book about advanced charm work. Most of it was going right over his head, but it was an interesting read.

"What, and that's not a good thing? Think of all the free stuff you can get!"

"Yeah, but who's head does the Dark Lord most want on a silver platter?" Jacob asked drily.

"Albus Dumbledore's, last I heard," Ren replied.

All three boys looked up at that. "Huh? Why Dumbledore?" Harry asked.

"Duh. He's in the way."

"If Dumbledore was out of the way, the Dark Lord could take over both Hogwarts and the Ministry without a single opposition," Arcturus whispered, horrified.

"Without any worrying opposition," Jacob corrected. "There's still that Order of the Whatsit that Dumbledore is in charge of, and any muggleborns or half-bloods that feel like dying to protect their families. But with Dumbledore out of the picture, those will be a piece of cake."

"What about Potter?" Harry asked, morbidly curious.

"What can a sixth year do?" Ren replied. "Hell, what can _any_ student do? It's not like he's all powerful or anything. He's just a normal kid, right?"

Harry nodded, feeling sick. Would he have survived this year if he hadn't chosen to come to Wand and Dagger?

Ren shrugged. "Anyway, dinner's soon. You could ask one of the professors for help, you know. With the hair spell. Not Smith, he's a nutcase, but one of the others."

"I don't know..." Harry said slowly, eyeing their pile of books.

"Oh, come on, Harry," Jacob practically begged. "Asking a professor would be so much faster."

"Not to mention that you'll soon be getting real homework," Ren added helpfully.

"Oh, fine," Harry gave in. "We can ask a professor. But not Lestrange."

"What's wrong with him?" Jacob asked.

"Light wizards," Arcturus helpfully explained. "Lestrange is a known Death Eater. I'm not sure how he got into the school, actually..."

"Last Dark Magics teacher died middle of last year," Ren said brightly. "Gaunt had to hire someone fast, and Lestrange ended up being it. Gaunt's not picky about who or what you are. I mean, Kugan's a phantom, practically an inferi, Ammon some kind of Ancient vampire, and the vote's still out on whether or not Smith's some sort of squib; no one's ever seen him do any actual magic."

"And he let in a half incubus," Arcturus agreed, levitating books back to their shelves with Harry and Jacob's help. "No sane school allows an incubus to attend; not even a half one."

"He went to Durmstrang."

"Like he said, no _sane_ school," Jacob said. Harry and Ren snorted while Arcturus rolled his eyes.

Once all the books were up, the four students made their way over to the dining hall. "So, which professor, then?"Arcturus asked, getting them back on the original subject.

"Ambrosi, maybe?" Jacob suggested. "He seems capable and okay with silly questions. Anyway, he likes you, Harry."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Jacob, just because a professor seems amused by a hat you wear, doesn't automatically make them like you."

"Not Gaur," Arcturus decided. "He might give you a new nickname."

"Gaur does _not_ give nicknames for asking questions!" Ren complained.

"And not Ammon or Kugan," Jacob added. "They're both too dead."

"I don't think Eveningfair _could_," Ren decided to join in. "And even though she's the healer, Doe's likely to laugh at you and close her door in your face."

"Mmmm.... Gygax looks a little too strict," Harry decided cheerfully as he loaded his plate. "So that leaves... Ambrosi and Gaunt. Is it really okay to bother the Headmaster with something like this?"

"Something like what, Mr Barak?" said Headmaster asked from behind Harry.

Harry yelped and turned around quickly, somehow managing to not drop his food. "Professor Gaunt!"

"Now's your chance to ask, Harry," Jacob said winningly, then he and Arcturus hurried off to the open seats around Rai.

Ren patted Harry on the back, then followed them.

Gaunt rose an eyebrow at Harry. "Do I even want to know?"

Harry grimaced. "Well, we found out my mum cast a spell on my hair, to make it always stay the same, but the charm's too advanced for us to dispel without some serious research. We were discussing which professor to ask for help."

Gaunt blinked and pulled out his wand, which looked oddly familiar to Harry for some reason, but he couldn't quite recall where from. "May I look at the spell?"

"Oh, yeah." Harry tugged off his hat. When Gaunt's eyes narrowed dangerously, Harry quickly looked down at his plate and said, "My mum's idea, sir. She wanted me to look like the famous Harry Potter. S'what my aunt always said, at least."

Gaunt pursed his lips, but simply cast the charm to identify the spell on Harry's head. After a moment, he said, "I can remove this for you, Barak. Would you like me to?"

"If you please, sir," Harry replied. "It's not safe to look like Potter these days."

Gaunt hummed in agreement and cast a quick, wordless spell. Almost immediately, Harry's hair grew about three inches and turned more of a dark auburn, rather than the deep black it had been. Harry tugged a lock of hair down and looked at it cross-eyed, amazed by the change. But, why had his mum hidden his natural colour?

"Thanks, sir," Harry said after a moment of staring at his new hair.

"You're most welcome, Mr Barak," Gaunt replied, seeming quite a bit calmer now that Harry didn't look quite so much like he was supposed to. (And, Merlin, if that wasn't confusing.)

Harry walked over to his friends and took his usual seat between Arcturus and Ren.

"Wicked!" Jacob crowed.

"That's quite a change, Harry," Arcturus commented after a moment of studying the new hair.

"Now you don't have to cover it with that ridiculous beanie!" Ren added, looking quite gleeful.

Harry promptly put his beanie back on. "I _like_ my beanie, thanks."

"But it makes you look so, oh, I don't know. So muggle!" Ren tried.

Harry huffed at him and tucked into his food.

"Well, that's one less thing to look up. But I thought your aunt said you got your black hair from your mum," Arcturus commented.

Harry stared down at his plate. "I know," was all he said, feeling quite confused himself by the new hair colour. He'd just thought it was a charm to keep the length the same. It didn't make any sense.

"Well, no use worrying about it now," Rai commented quietly from the other side of Ren.

Harry glanced around Ren and toasted Rai, which earned him a faint smile. Then he turned back to Jacob and Arcturus and started up a talk about shield charms.

-0-

When Harry got back to his room that night after helping Arcturus and Jacob with their shield charms a bit more, he found Hedwig waiting for him. "Hey, girl. You have something for me?"

Hedwig held out her leg, where three letters were attached. Only one had his assumed name on it – the one from Hermione – while the other two said 'Harry Potter'. Harry shook his head at Ron and Dumbledore, neither of whom had followed his request to address things to Harry Barak.

Harry opened Hermione's letter on his way to his desk to read it and the others.

_'Harry!  
'I suppose you were right to wait to tell Ron until after you left for Wand and Dagger. Merlin, he's being such a prat about it. I mean, part of his problem is that you waited to tell him, but I've heard him complaining more than once about how you always get special treatment and how you have enough money to do anything and it's not fair. (It didn't help that we went by the twins' new shop and he couldn't afford the things he wanted. Figured you could have.)  
'You __**must**__ tell me about the school! Oh, I'm almost jealous! Have you made any friends? What are your classes like? Are you doing your homework?  
'I miss you, and hope to hear from you soon!  
' 'Mione'_

Harry smiled at Hermione's letter – trust her to ask about his schoolwork! – and he suddenly missed her. He hadn't really wanted to chance sending her too many letters over the summer while he'd been in Diagon Alley – especially, as Sirius had once said, since Hedwig was a rather noticeable bird – so he hadn't spoken to her nearly enough.

Harry wrote up a quick reply, telling her all about the school, especially the library, and his new friends. He also mentioned the teachers he'd already had, and the rumours about some of the ones he was going to have later. He mentioned Professor Smith especially, since he knew she'd be horrified at the professor's lack of decorum for a while before finally realizing how funny it was.

When Harry opened Ron's letter, he sighed. It was all angry and called him a few names, and ranted on about, 'how could you not tell your best friend you were going to a new school', etc, etc. Harry decided the letter didn't deserve a response and promptly tossed it in the bin, where he lit it on fire.

Harry opened Dumbledore's letter next, not really expecting much better than Ron's, considering how much the Headmaster seemed to like to control Harry's life.

_'Harry,  
'I strongly suggest you return to Hogwarts, for a number of reasons. One, I had intended to give you extra lessons this year in hopes that they would help you defeat Voldemort. Two, the only Gaunts I know of are Tom Riddle's mother's family, which are all dead. I fear you are currently at a school with Voldemort himself. Three, wouldn't you rather be with your friends? I'm sure they miss you.  
'I must insist that you return to Hogwarts, my dear boy. Or at least to your aunt's house for a few weeks, so the wards can re-charge; they are dangerously low, and you will shortly find both yourself and your family at the mercy of Voldemort and his people.  
'Albus Dumbledore'_

Harry huffed at the letter and quickly pulled out a new piece of parchment.

_'Headmaster,  
'I appreciate your concerns, but I don't see them to be valid. Any extra lessons you could have given me, I will learn here, and probably in more detail. As for Professor Gaunt, I will admit that he does slightly resemble Tom Riddle, but he's far too kind to the students to be Voldemort. Just today, for example, I found out there was a spell on my hair and he removed it for me. He was rather disgusted, I suppose, by my resemblance to Harry Potter, but I've explained that off by my mum being obsessed; the spell on my hair went a long way to proving that theory. (Apparently, I have auburn hair, not black. Any thoughts?)  
'While I will admit that I miss my friends, I'm making some new ones here, and I'm still in touch with Hermione. I'll probably start trading owls with Ron again once he's stopped being a jealous prat.  
'Both my family and I were quite happy to not have to see anything of each other this summer. I will certainly send them a letter, letting them know that my not staying with them has left them vulnerable, if you think it best, but I won't be returning this summer. If you'd wanted me there, you shouldn't have let Moody, Lupin, Tonks and Mr Weasley threaten them; my uncle didn't take kindly to it. I understand that they were just trying to help, but it only made things worse.  
'If you insist on continuing this correspondence, I insist you address me by my assumed name, especially since you seem to think Voldemort is here. I know there are Voldemort supporters among the student body, and the Dark Magics professor is Rodolphus Lestrange.  
'Harry Barak'_

Feeling rather pleased with his response, and certain of his own observations, Harry handed the two letters over to an impatient Hedwig, then drafted a letter to his aunt, letting her know about the pending danger. He would see about posting it the muggle way in the morning; Ren might know.

Before getting ready for bed, Harry tossed Dumbledore's letter in the bin and burned it like he had Ron's – best not to leave around such connections to his real name.

All told, it had been a good, though odd, first day.

-0-0-0-0-0-

**A/N:** Okay, a few more questions are answered in this chapter, other than the, admittedly, rather constant question which is answered at the top.  
Please, also, keep in mind that while Hogwarts is a private school, it is run by a group of public officials and partially funded by the wizarding government – at least, it is in my world – while Wand and Dagger is not. Rather, W&D is run and funded by an individual, and is therefore outside of Ministry jurisdiction. So Voldie can hire whoever he wants as his staff. (In case anyone thinks Dumbles is going to get a contingent of Aurors to arrest Rodolphus.)  
Of course, not that the Ministry knows where W&D _is_.

**Harry's hair:** I was exhausted while writing that part and I'm not sure where it came from. I originally intended for it to just be an excuse, but then they found a spell on his hair for real. I meant it to just be there keeping Harry's hair in place – how else do you explain hair that doesn't grow, except when it's been shaved off? I know, supposedly, Harry's hair grew back all at once because he didn't want to be embarrassed, but still, if the only haircuts he'd ever gotten were from Petunia, once she'd stopped, his hair should have continued to grow naturally. By his sixth year, he would no longer have hair like his father's, since it would have grown out so it wasn't quite so wild. (Goodness knows, I have to keep trimming my own hair because if I don't, by the end of a school year, it's shoulder length, even if it was shaved at the beginning of the year.)  
At any rate, Harry's hair wasn't supposed to be anything but black. Even said so in my character profiles.

On the potential pairing, since there were a few reviews about this:  
I, as always, am leaning towards Harry/Tom, because that's just the way I am. I don't know that I'd pair Harry with any of the OCs, however, no matter how much you or I might like them. (And, trust me, I like most of my OCs, save Kathy – who is named after a woman I abhor – especially Harry's friends. Fans of Abandon and Reclaim might recognize the two second years Harry's made friends with from their brief appearance in Reclaim when Harry got Luna, Ginny, Hermione and Poppy out of the school.)  
Because of the way I've set up the OCs surrounding Harry, however, there's no way he's going to date a girl. So this really and truly will be SLASH.  
But any pairings won't be for a while. Let him get settled in and finish meeting his professors, yeah?

Here's hoping I can flesh out the OCs a bit more over the next couple of chapters, without them seeming like Gary-Stus or whatever. -winks-

~Bats ^.^x

P.S. – I read _every single _review I get, but I don't reply to all of them personally because I'm so busy with school work and writing more chapters for you folks. (Anyway, a lot of your questions were asked by more than one person; it just makes more sense to write up a general response in the next chapter, than to reply to the same question five times.)  
Your reviews are read, though. And I love them. Honest. They make me all warm and tingly inside, and spur me to write more. (Well, reviews and my girlfriend/beta.)


	3. Shocks and Explosions

**Title:** Wand and Dagger  
**Author:** Batsutousai  
**Beta:** Shara Lunison  
**Rating:** PG-13?  
**Pairings:** undecided, but most likely some form of SLASH  
**Warnings:** OCs, OoC  
**Summary:** The war is coming too quickly for comfort and Harry wonders if it isn't time for him to find a school that will actually teach him what he needs to learn to defeat Voldemort.

**Disclaim Her:** Mokkun's name is stolen from Shara's cat, who is slightly feral, unless you've got food for him. I considered naming him after my cat, who loves humans, but it seemed somewhat wrong to have a pet dragon named Tom in a school run by a man with the name. (Never mind that Voldie is the reason Tom has the name he does. XD)

**A/N:** A number of people have asked about Voldemort/Gaunt. Gaunt _is_ Voldemort, not a Horcrux that's taken a human form. The Death Eaters aren't aware of Voldie's other life, as it were. (But, then again, he's gotta have _something_ to do in his free time, right?)  
The DEs are also where Voldie got the money to start the school, though they don't know that. Since then, a couple galleons every couple of months and any donations from alumni are what's kept the school running. (It was all donations, during the thirteen years that Voldie was missing, since there was no Head to get money from the DEs.)

-0-0-0-  
_Chapter Three – Shocks and Explosions_  
-0-0-0-

At breakfast, Tuesday morning, Harry waited until Ren sat, then asked, "I've got a letter I need to send the muggle way. Do you know how I might go about it?"

Ren took a bite of cereal and chewed thoughtfully for a few minutes. "Got any stamps?"

"Stamps?" Arcturus asked, confused.

Harry shook his head. "Never needed them before," he told Ren, then turned to Arcturus and said, "Muggle way of paying to send a letter through the post. Pre-buy the stamps and stick them on the envelope."

"Huh. Muggles are so strange..."

Jacob snickered across from them. "_Purebloods_ are weird, thanks. Muggles make sense."

"You're just saying that because you grew up around them," Arcturus shot back.

Harry rolled his eyes at the two and turned back to Ren, who grinned. "I was going to say, if you have a stamp, you can just put it in the box out front. Supposedly, this is muggle land, so Gaunt pays for the land and water and everything the muggle way. Which means muggle bills. There's two boxes out front, one for outgoing mail, and the other for incoming. Students don't usually use the boxes, but some of us have muggle families who are a little weirded out by birds making deliveries."

"Yeah," Jacob added. "Mum _hates_ owls. I couldn't send her letters from school because there wasn't any way to send muggle letters."

"Huh. Never even thought about it," Harry admitted. "I never really wrote to my aunt in school; we don't get on that well."

Ren gave him a knowing look. "Asking her about your hair?"

Harry blinked, then grimaced. "Oh, yeah. Not that I think she knows anything, mind..."

Ren nodded. "Well, on weekends, we're allowed into the village. You could wait until then and buy some stamps at the post office. Or you could ask Gaunt for one. I think it's twenty knuts for a stamp."

Jacob whistled. "That's steep."

Ren shrugged. "He just asks a couple extra pence for the cost of him having to go out and get more."

Harry hummed. "Maybe I'll go see him after lunch, then."

"Desperate to find out?" Jacob teased.

"Something like that," Harry agreed as Gaur rose. "Bugger. Come on. Time to get sweaty."

"You have _such_ a way with words," Arcturus complained.

-0-

After buying a stamp from Gaunt and putting the letter to his aunt in the mailbox out front, Harry wandered up to the common room, where Arcturus and Ren were playing with Mokkun.

"I can understand why Rai is taking Dark Magics," Ren was saying when Harry walked in, "but why Jacob? He's such a good kid."

"He's taking Light Magics, too," Arcturus pointed out. "Maybe he's just seeing which one he likes. I might have done the same, but I went to Durmstrang, so I already know I hate Dark Magics."

Harry sat down in one of the free chairs around the pseudodragon. "I don't see how someone can stand using Dark magic. Doesn't it rot your brain or something?"

"No," Ren said, looking surprised. "What gave you _that_ idea?"

"Voldemort," Harry said with a shrug. When his two friends shuddered, he rolled his eyes. "It's just a name, you know."

"Ugh. Just, do me a favour and don't say it again?" Arcturus requested.

Harry huffed. "Fear of a name increases fear of the thing itself."

"He spent five years with Dumbledore," Ren said, as if it explained everything.

"I don't care if it increases my fear of Him, just don't say it, okay?" Arcturus complained. "At Durmstrang, if you said His name, you got caned."

"But this isn't Durmstrang," Harry pointed out.

"It isn't Hogwarts, either," Ren pointed out drily. "And, here, everyone calls Him the Dark Lord. You might as well take it up. Unless you _want_ to draw attention to yourself."

Harry frowned a bit. "No..."

"Good. Now, Dark magic," Ren said, trying for a cheerful tone. "Here, look at Arcturus. He's not rotted, is he?"

Harry shook his head. "No. But he's a Light wizard."

"Five years with Dumbledore," Ren muttered, rolling his eyes. "Okay, so most of his family line is Light. But he's still been using Dark magic for four years at Durmstrang."

"But he didn't _want _to use it," Harry replied.

"It's not going to work, Ren," Arcturus commented.

"No, wait. What about Rai? He's half Dark creature, and he's been using Dark spells his whole life. He's not rotted."

Harry bit his lower lip and thought about that. It was true, incubi were Dark creatures, and if Rai had gone to Durmstrang, he would have been using Dark magic for years. But Rai was fine. He was quiet, but it wasn't like he was power hungry or mad or anything. Not like Voldemort. "I don't know," he finally said. "But, okay, if it's not the Dark magic, why is Vol– sorry, why is the Dark Lord so nuts?"

"Ask a psychologist," Ren deadpanned.

"Psychologist?" Arcturus parroted, looking confused.

"Muggle mind healer," Harry said absently. "Are you saying he was nuts _before_ the magic?"

"I'm saying I don't know, okay. It's not like anyone's done a study on the guy. Most people run away from him or bow really low, not wonder about how he got to be so crazy."

Harry huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. "Whatever."

Ren pinched the bridge of his nose briefly before pulling out his wand. "Let me teach you a spell, okay?"

Harry looked at him suspiciously. "Why?"

"I want you to know what it feels like to cast a Dark spell, that's why. Now–"

"I've cast Dark magic before," Harry said.

Ren paused and both he and Arcturus stared at him in surprise.

Harry sunk down into his chair.

"Really?" Arcturus asked, leaning forward. "Which spell?"

Harry swallowed, then whispered, "The Cruciatus Curse."

Ren whistled, while Arcturus shook his head. "No wonder you've got such a bad impression of it."

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" Harry snapped, sitting up straight.

"It didn't work, did it?" Ren cut in, before Arcturus could respond. "You're too nice to actually want to hurt someone."

"No, it didn't," Harry agreed.

Ren sighed. "Let me teach you one that you _can_ cast, then."

"I don't _want_ to learn Dark magic, Ren."

"Shush. Now, the spell is _Flagrante_. You touch your wand to an object and cast it."

Harry crossed his arms over his chest again. "No."

"You're acting like a child, Barak," Ren told him.

Arcturus shook his head. "Harry, that particular curse is meant to keep people from touching things you don't want them touching. If anyone besides the caster, or someone the caster adds into the spell, touches the object, they get a nasty burn. Nothing a good healer can't fix, mind."

Harry blinked at them both for a long minute before saying, "It's Dark?"

"It causes pain to the victim, so it's technically Dark," Arcturus affirmed.

Harry thought of his Invisibility Cloak and photo album, both of which he would be devastated if he lost. (And one of which would completely destroy him.) He swallowed and sat forward. "Show me again?"

Ren grinned at him and taught him the spell.

-0-

"This class, is not a game," Gaunt said after Kathy and Harry had both taken seats in the classroom. Behind them, Rai and Rick Rosier were working on some things Gaunt had directed them to as soon as they'd entered the room. "I have had students in this class that did not heed that warning and they killed themselves in a ritual they tried to perform. Yes, before you ask, we will be learning some rituals and, if you wish, you may perform them. But not without my assistance. Is this understood?"

Harry nodded nervously, while Kathy looked pleased.

Gaunt frowned at her. "If I think you're not taking this class seriously, Miss Carrow, I will remove you."

Kathy frowned a bit. "Yes, sir."

Gaunt nodded. "Mr Barak, I believe I saw a rune on your forehead last night?"

Harry nodded. "Algiz, sir."

"What do you know of that rune, Mr Barak?"

"It symbolizes protection, sir. It can mean a shield, which can take form in the urge for one to protect themselves, or others. It can also be used to ward off evil, or as a reminder to trust your instincts," Harry said, remembering what he'd read in his books while he was in The Leaky.

Gaunt smiled. "Very good, Mr Barak. It can also be used to channel your energies. You may have noticed that your magic is stronger, since you got the rune?"

Harry blinked and nodded. He had noticed that his shield charm had been a lot stronger in class the day before, but he hadn't really thought about it.

"Runes," Gaunt continued cheerfully, "can be used to augment abilities we already have, and a ritual which uses runes is always stronger than one that doesn't. Once you have a deeper understanding of runes, you may begin to notice them in magical objects you own. Later this year, I will be teaching you how to cast the magic sight on yourself, which will allow you to see the magic around you. You will find that most spells have a runic component, and anything imbued with magic will have a rune.

"For example, I can see that Mr Barak's hat has a full-body shield charm on it, and Miss Carrow's robes are spelled with a warming charm, which is currently inactive. I can also see where your wands are," Gaunt added with a smile. Harry, who was keeping his in the back pocket of his jeans grimaced and carefully pulled his out. Gaunt's smile got wider and he suggested, "You may wish to look up a spell to attach your wand to your forearm, Mr Barak. You chance breaking it in its current home."

"Yes, sir," Harry said, flushing.

Kathy snorted. "Half-bloods."

Gaunt frowned at her. "Miss Carrow, I have warned you once; if you do not curb your tongue, I will curse it off. This is your last warning."

Kathy scowled, but didn't say anything again.

Gaunt nodded and continued with the lesson, going over the runes that were in their book, then setting them to coming up with ways the runes could be used while he went back to help Rai and Rosier.

Despite having to share the class with Kathy, Harry thought he might enjoy it.

-0-

The next morning, during breakfast, Arcturus received an owl from his family. He popped it open and read it over quickly, smiling at whatever he found. When he looked up and found Harry and Ren looking at him curiously – Jacob was half asleep in his bowl, and Rai was picking over the buffet for the third time – he smiled at them and said, "Just trading owls with my cousin. Like I said, he really wanted to come here. I told him I'd let him know how it is."

Harry blinked, and had a sudden horrified thought: what if Arcturus had asked about him?! He cleared his throat and looked at his new friend nervously. "I don't suppose you mentioned me?"

Arcturus smiled. "Yeah. Wondered why he'd never mentioned you, since you two were in the same year, right?" Harry nodded faintly, getting a sinking feeling. "Well, he said you just weren't all that noticeable, s'all. Didn't really have any close friends in Gryffindor, so you didn't spend a lot of time with your own house. Made sense, I suppose."

Harry let out a faint breath. Neville had covered for him. But, how had he known to? Unless...

Hermione.

Harry made a mental note to get his best friend a _lot_ of books for her birthday. Enough that he'd need three owls to carry them all.

"What houses?" Ren asked curiously.

Before Harry could come up with an answer, Gaur rose and smiled evilly at the students.

And, for once, Harry really loved the man.

-0-

After a rather boring Light Magics class, Harry begged off and returned to his room. Much to his relief, Hedwig sat on her perch next to the window, looking quite pleased with herself. Three letters sat on Harry's desk next to his pile of notes.

"You're brilliant, you know that?" Harry commented to his owl, pulling out a few treats for her. Hedwig practically glowed under the praise and demanded Harry pay more attention to her, which he gladly did.

When Harry finally managed to get away from his owl, he sat at his desk and looked over the three letters, all of which, he was relieved to see, were address to his assumed name. One was definitely from Hermione, and another from Dumbledore. The last, Harry was fairly certain came from Neville, and he popped that one open first.

_'Harry,  
'You're lucky Hedwig got here with a note from Hermione when she did! I got a letter from my cousin just after, asking me if I knew a Harry Barak, which, of course, is you. Hermione, being the brilliant witch she is, told me that you were pretending to be another Gryffindor boy in our year. She figured that, since you didn't really exist, we should just pretend you didn't spend any time in the house for one reason or another. I told Arc that you had friends in a different house, so make something up.  
'You owe me, by the way.  
'What do you think of the school? You're __**supposed**__ to start it in your fifth year, you know, because it's a three-year school. You're a little late, I guess, but they probably don't mind that much. I'm madly jealous, of course. Wand and Dagger is such a good school for defence, and now that I believe I __**can**__ do defence... Well, I'm sure you understand. Thanks for that, by the way. Last year, I mean. Without you teaching us, I'd still be a clumsy idiot. (Well, I still am, a bit, but now I know I can be better.) Gran was so proud of me when I got home.  
'It won't be as much fun without you at Hogwarts this year. And who am I supposed to talk to now? Not Ron. (How's he taking this, by the way? Not well, I imagine.)  
'Hoping you're doing well,  
'Neville'_

Harry smiled sadly at Neville's letter. "You're not a clumsy idiot, Neville," he told the letter, then pulled out some paper and a quill to write a letter telling his friend just that. He also answered the boy's few questions and assured Neville that he was _well_ aware he owed both him and Hermione big-time. He promised a rare plant for Christmas, or something else, if Neville wanted.

Finished with Neville's letter, he turned to Hermione.

_'I almost screamed when I realized you've made friends with Neville's cousin, and we never told Neville about you changing schools. So I'm sending this and another letter to Neville now so he can, hopefully, keep from giving you up. Don't __**scare**__ me like that!  
' 'Mione'_

Harry laughed – he could almost see Hermione's panicked hair-pulling as she wrote both him and Neville letters. So he wrote her a letter back saying thanks and that he owed her and Neville for saving his skin. He also told her about the past two days of classes, since he knew she'd want to know.

When Harry was done writing Hermione back, he pulled over Dumbledore's letter and, with a deep breath, opened it.

_'Harry,  
'If I cannot talk you out of this, I shall have to give you what lessons I'd planned by owl, as they are not of the magical defence sort. I had intended to teach you something more of your enemy, so you might defeat him even with your limited experience in the magical world. If you will consent, I would like to send you some memories I have acquired regarding the young Tom Riddle and his adventures previous to his first reign. There is a spell to view memories without a Pensieve, though you will likely find it easier to obtain the artefact than learn the spell.  
'I am not convinced Thomas Gaunt isn't Voldemort, so I ask that you remain on your guard, no matter how kind he may seem to yourself and your fellow students. You know from the diary how compelling he can be, when he wishes your trust. If you can find and perform a spell to safe-guard your things, do so.  
'As for your hair, I am not certain why it might be auburn. I know your hair was quite a bit lighter before your family went into hiding, and you might ask Remus if he knows. I will assure you now, however, that your parents were Lily and James, not someone else. A paternity test is run on each baby that is born at St Mungo's, so the right information is correct on the birth certificate. Knowing your father as I do, it's possible your hair was the result of a prank that was played upon you shortly before Voldemort came. The answer is likely lost to time.  
'Please take care,  
'Albus Dumbledore'_

Harry stared at the letter for a long time after he'd read it, not sure how he felt. He was disappointed that the Headmaster thought him weak enough that he mightn't survive even if he learned more spells, and disgusted that the man thought memories of Voldemort would help him defeat the man. At the same time, however, he was glad to know he wasn't a literal bastard, and amused by the thought that his hair could have just been a trick gone wrong. He was overjoyed to think that, right before those moments of fear when Voldemort came for them, his parents might have been happy.

Rather than reply to Dumbledore right that moment, Harry shoved the letter under the pile of notes and grabbed his Firebolt for a fly in the forest. He wouldn't manage the speed or height he would have gotten at Hogwarts, but any flying was better than none.

-0-

With Ren's help, Harry found a spell which allowed him to stick his wand to his forearm. Writing and eating with it attached took some getting used to, but he was able to cast spells without his wand in his hand, making him look like he was casting wandlessly, a trick his four friends quickly learned as well, though it wasn't as easy for them as it was for Harry. When Harry had wondered about that aloud, Rai tapped his forehead and said, "What did Gaunt say about that rune?" Jacob had promptly re-created the rune on his own forehead and found his own 'wandless' casting to be easier.

Healing after lunch on Thursday turned out to be exactly like Ren had unknowingly suggested it might be on Monday. Doe was a no-nonsense sort of woman who believed that, after she had taught you something, you'd best know it enough to fix it yourself. She cheerfully taught them how to heal a small cut, then cast _diffindo_ on each of them and watched as they tried to fix it themselves. If they weren't able to, such as Pearl, she tutted and told them to ask one of their other classmates to do it for them. (Arcturus had been closest and healed Pearl before she'd had to actually ask.)

After Healing, Harry and Arcturus sat in the atrium on the second floor, practising healing spells and wistfully listening to the explosions coming from the Potions classroom, where Jacob was having class with the mad Smith.

-0-

Friday the three first years finished up their homework in Harry's room. They had asked their second year friends to join them, but both Ren and Rai had a few questions to run by their professors, as their work was harder. Ren had said he might join them later, but Rai had simply shrugged.

"Are you ever going to decorate this place, Harry?" Jacob asked, glancing around the bare room curiously.

Harry looked around himself. He'd carefully put his cloak and photo album, as well as the two photos he had of himself and his Hogwarts friends, into his trunk before inviting his two friends in. Without those little decorative touches, all he really had out were his broom, his books, Hedwig's empty perch and his tiny models of the dragon from his fourth year and the Firebolt he'd gotten from Tonks the previous Christmas. "Erm..." he said, trying to find something to say.

"Because you're one to talk," Arcturus came to Harry's rescue. "I've seen your room, Jacob, and it's emptier than Harry's. At least he's got his books and broom."

"Hey! I've got pictures up!" Jacob complained.

Arcturus just sort of looked at him.

Jacob pouted a bit, then suddenly smiled. "We could look up a spell to change the colours of the walls and bedding, at least. Then maybe our rooms wouldn't look so boring."

Harry brightened at that suggestion. "We could, couldn't we?"

Arcturus looked thoughtful for a moment before getting up and walking next door to his room. Harry and Jacob traded confused looks, which they turned on their friend when he returned with a book. "Aunt Augusta got this for me a couple of years ago," he explained, holding the book up. "It's got a bunch of housekeeping charms in it, including ones to change the colours of things."

"Your aunt is really useful," Jacob decided, then glanced at Harry. "Why couldn't yours be as cool?"

Harry shrugged. "She's a muggle."

"Never mind that!" Arcturus opened his book up to the page for colouring walls and sat back down on the floor with them. "Here. Looks like you just flick your wand at the wall and say the Latin name of the colour you want. Mmm... Wait, you also have to visualize the shade you want."

"They don't have words for lighter or darker?" Jacob asked, half-teasing.

Arcturus rolled his eyes. "How would it be easier to keep spelling the walls lighter or darker until they're _just_ the right shade?"

Harry snorted and took the book. Standing, he flicked his hand – with his wand hidden up his sleeve – at the wall he shared with Arcturus and intoned, "_Ruber_," envisioning the bright red of the Gryffindor common room.

"Oh, dear Merlin," Jacob groaned. "Why such an obnoxious colour?"

"There's nothing obnoxious about red!" Harry complained, shooting another spell at the wall with the door.

"It is a bit... bright," Arcturus commented diplomatically.

Harry paused after colouring the third wall and looked around. "Looks fine to me," he replied, then hit the last wall with the spell.

Arcturus closed his eyes helplessly while Jacob commented, "I think you're colour blind."

Harry scowled at them for a long minute before quickly hitting each wall with a slightly darker red. "Better?" he inquired.

Jacob eyed the walls critically for a moment before nodding. "Yeah. What are you going to paint the ceiling?"

Harry huffed and shot an even darker red at the ceiling, then, without really thinking about it, gold at the carpet.

"It works on carpet?" Arcturus asked, looking down at the glinting carpet. "Wicked."

When Harry looked at Jacob pointedly, he grinned. "It's your room, you know."

"I hate you," Harry informed him, then stalked into the bathroom to colour it a light blue.

"Any bets on if you're getting that book back?" Jacob said to Arcturus.

"Shut it!" Arcturus hissed back. "Before he throws it!"

Jacob shrugged and grinned. "What colour are you painting your room?"

Arcturus sighed. "Blue, I think. Or green. Maybe brown?"

"Earthy colours. Should have guessed." Jacob rolled his eyes up at the ceiling, as if asking for patience.

"What about you?"

"Light blue. Really, really light blue. With a gold carpet, like Harry's. Just like home." Jacob smiled in memory.

"You might need Harry's help making your carpet this gold," Arcturus pointed out drily. "If I didn't know it was soft, I'd think it was real gold."

Jacob glanced down at the carpet, then grinned. "Might."

Harry rolled his eyes at them and sat back down. "Here," he said, handing over the book. "Have at."

Jacob took the book, then looked at Harry curiously. "You're not really mad, are you?"

Harry sighed. "Mildly disgruntled," he decided.

Jacob grinned again. "Excellent! I'll be back!" Then he bounced up and hurried down to his own room.

"What did you paint the closet?" Arcturus asked with a hint of amusement.

Harry smiled faintly. "Green and silver. How'd you know?"

"Heard the door."

Harry shook his head in amusement. "Just don't tell your cousin, I'll never live it down."

"I'll take that into consideration."

-0-

Saturday, Harry and Jacob dragged Arcturus into town. Harry wanted to get some stamps, in case he or one of his friends needed them, and some extra odds and ends for his room, since Jacob had pointed it out. Jacob wanted a camera, so he could take pictures of things. They'd both decided Arcturus needed to see some of the muggle world.

The town was small, and the townspeople had a distinct Welsh accent. There weren't a lot of shops, but Jacob managed to find an antiques shop not long after Harry had found the post office. Inside, there were loads of things for reasonably cheap, and the three boys went a little nuts finding things to decorate with, especially Harry and Jacob.

Harry ended up with a couple of fanciful paintings that reminded him of Hogwarts, a handsome gold lion sculpture and a clock from a ship during the 60s.

Jacob found himself a muggle camera that wasn't too old, a large globe, and a couple Renaissance pictures of half-naked women, which the owner had looked at him oddly for.

Arcturus found a couple delicate glass sculptures of animals, which he said were like the wizarding ones he collected.

The three friends bought everything – Harry and Jacob pooling their muggle money together to pay for Arcturus' findings, since he didn't have any – and then hurried back to the school to put their things away. When they were done with their additional decorating, they retired to the common room, where Jacob tried to figure out his new camera and they took pictures of each other.

At dinner, they got Pearl to take a couple pictures of the three first years with Ren and Rai. Somehow, Smith got into a couple of them, and Jacob joked that the pictures, when he got them developed, would probably have the crazed professor bouncing all over the place.

When Harry went to bed that night, he reflected that coming to Wand and Dagger had been the best choice of his life.

-0-0-0-0-0-

**A/N:** Not sure when the next chapter's going to be out. The lot of them are giving me some trouble. (I have a plot, sorta, but I need characterization first, which I hate. As Shara put it, I need you lot to know the characters like _I_ do.) I hope to get it up next Wednesday, since once a week sounds like a good updating schedule, but I'm on a role with Broken right now, so it's taking a fair bit of my time. (Plus papers. Being a grad students almost sucks more than being an undergrad sometimes.)  
I was also, for a bit, using a semi-assignment to make a website for this fic, since I made Sims of the OCs, but that's been put a bit on hold because of papers. (And because the site-making site my professor directed us to was driving me bonkers.) I'll let you know if that ever actually goes anywhere.

~Bats ^.^x


	4. Socialising

**Title:** Wand and Dagger  
**Author:** Batsutousai  
**Beta:** Shara Lunison  
**Rating:** PG-13?  
**Pairings:** undecided, but most likely some form of SLASH  
**Warnings:** OCs, OoC  
**Summary:** The war is coming too quickly for comfort and Harry wonders if it isn't time for him to find a school that will actually teach him what he needs to learn to defeat Voldemort.

**Disclaim Her:** I spent over an hour trying to find out if the British Monopoly pieces were different from the American pieces. Never did find out for sure, mind, but now I know a lot of random Monopoly trivia.

**A/N:** This chapter was.... difficult to write. I wanted to build relationships, but they were hard to write. (Perhaps because I am not a social person, myself?)

Also, since everyone seemed confused by this: HOGWARTS HASN'T STARTED YET!  
WaD starts a month before Hogwarts.

-0-0-0-  
_Chapter Four – Socialising_  
-0-0-0-

Sunday found Harry and Arcturus in the greenhouses again, while Jacob borrowed Harry's broom and took it for a spin in the woods. He had informed Harry exactly how jealous he was that Harry had a _Firebolt_, so Harry had told him he could ride it on the weekends, if he really wanted. Arcturus had shaken his head at the two of them; he, like Neville, disliked flying.

After a couple of hours, Jacob came and dragged them out of their respective greenhouses; Harry preferred the muggle plants, while Arcturus enjoyed taking care of wizarding ones. He led them inside to the common room and cajoled them into a game of British Rails, where he soundly whooped their bums. Arcturus then challenged Jacob to a game of Exploding Snap, which Harry watched from the sidelines and laughed when Jacob lost miserably.

While Jacob went to go clean his face and hands, Harry and Arcturus took over the wizarding chess board from Smith and Gaunt and played a really bad game. When Jacob returned, he found his two friends being helped by their two professors. Harry was winning, marginally, because Gaunt was helping him. Smith seemed to like watching the pieces murder each other too much to keep Arcturus completely out of trouble.

"It's a wonder you don't lose more often when you're actually playing, John," Gaunt commented as Harry directed one of his rooks to murder Arcturus' remaining knight.

"But they can't play, anyway," Smith commented with a grin. "So it's okay. When I play, I want to win. This is just fun."

"Hey!" Arcturus complained, directing a pawn towards Harry's waiting knight, which then crushed it. "You know, I'm never listening to you again, Professor Smith."

Smith laughed. "Probably wise," he agreed.

"Yeah, don't listen to him in Potions, either," Jacob chimed in, sitting on the other side of the table from the two professors. "I wouldn't do that, by the way, Arcturus," he added as Arcturus moved to sacrifice another pawn.

"You know," Harry mused, "I've never won chess before. Always got my ar– sorry, professors, my bum handed to me."

"Oh, don't mind us," Gaunt said cheerfully. "We're just part of the furniture. Move your queen. Check."

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're the one really playing this game," Smith commented off-handedly.

"He is," Harry assured the mad professor. "I'm just the one sitting behind the table, telling the pieces to move."

"No wonder you're winning," Arcturus muttered, then sent forth a rook to be slaughtered.

"But doesn't it feel wonderful?" Gaunt asked.

"Brilliant," Harry assured him. "Checkmate. Oh, I've always wanted to say that."

"You really haven't won before, have you?" Jacob asked, half-joking.

"Because you never played Nev, I'm sure," Arcturus commented, standing. "Monopoly?"

"You know the name of a muggle game?" Jacob asked, eyes wide.

"Shut up," Arcturus replied, pulling the game out from the middle of the pile.

Harry rolled his eyes, then turned to their professors, who were watching them with smiles. "Want to play?"

Gaunt glanced at Arcturus and Jacob, who both shrugged their okay, and nodded. "I wouldn't mind, I suppose. Haven't played it in years. John?"

Smith's eyes sparkled. "Ooh, I haven't played Monopoly since 1935, when it was released in America."

"Riiiight..." Jacob gave his young-looking professor an odd look while Harry and Arcturus set the board up. "And you're really sixty-some-odd years old."

Smith smiled widely. "Oh, much older than that."

Gaunt sighed. "John, stop confusing the children."

Smith just grinned all the wider and joined Harry and Arcturus at the board.

After a quiet discussion among the three students, they elected Gaunt to be the banker. Gaunt snagged the top hat before anyone else could even consider the pewter pieces, and Smith grabbed for the shoe, which Harry got to first with a grin, so he picked the dog instead. Arcturus claimed the wheelbarrow and Jacob, rolling his eyes at the lot of them, grabbed the battleship. While they played, the students chattered about stuff and tried to draw their professors in.

"Arcturus," Harry inquired, "is it true what Neville said once? Did your family really almost kill him to make his magic surface?"

Arcturus blinked in surprise, then looked rather sheepish when the other players looked at the two oddly. "Yeah. My grandfather dropped him out the window at one point. It was a lot worse when we were little; he almost drowned at one point, and there was an incident with the Floo malfunctioning that I'm not sure I completely understand..." He sighed. "I was performing accidental magic practically as soon as I was out of the crib. Neville, for some reason, didn't. So they kept testing him. I think Aunt Augusta, his gran, didn't really approve, but she never tried to stop them."

"I wasn't aware abuse like that was likely in a magical family," Gaunt commented off-handedly.

Harry blinked a bit at the burn in his scar, but ignored it in lieu of rolling the dice and moving his way to King's Cross Station. "Professor Gaunt?" He handed the man his £200 and got his paid-for railroad.

"Only, I think, when there's a chance a child might be a squib," Arcturus replied. "If he'd performed accidental magic at an 'acceptable age', they never would have tried any of that on him."

"It's barbaric," Jacob complained. "And the Dark Lord thinks _muggles_ have issues. At least they've got an excuse – muggles can't kill, on the spot, with two words, not with something that can't be blocked – but what do wizards have to say for themselves? They torture their own young because they aren't blowing things up."

"It's the same concept, though," Smith commented, landing on and buying Whitehall. "Both people commit the crime because they cannot understand the individual. Wizards can't understand what creates a squib, and they fear it, so they try and destroy it. It's the same with muggles; they can't comprehend a world of magic beyond their fairytales, so they destroy it, before it can destroy them."

"Never thought of it that way," Harry said. "We've all got something we fear, and the easiest course of action is, of course, to destroy it. I wonder if that's what got Vol– erm, the Dark Lord started."

Gaunt eyed Harry oddly, while his two friends rolled their eyes. "I wasn't aware Dumbledore was wearing off so much on the students," he commented.

"Only the stupid ones," Jacob offered with a grin.

"Oiy!" Harry shoved Jacob. "Are you calling me stupid, you bloody changling?"

"I'd _never_ call a friend _stupid_," Jacob replied, looking hurt.

"Yeah? And what does that make me, then?"

"Mmmm..." Jacob scratched his chin. "I dunno. The guy I like to mess with?"

"That's it. This. Is. War," Harry declared, then laughed madly as Jacob landed on Vine Street, which Harry had just bought. "Cough it up."

"You're mad. The both of you," Arcturus declared. "Honestly."

Both boys smiled winningly.

"So, Professor Gaunt, where did you go to school?" Harry asked.

"Hogwarts. I'm afraid I was a Slytherin."

"Ah well," Harry replied cheerfully. "Happens to the best of us."

Gaunt chuckled. "Rather."

"What about you, Professor Smith?" Jacob asked before Harry could.

"Oh, I didn't go to school. Weeeeell... not a human school. Weeeeellll... not a school of this planet."

"Right," Jacob said sceptically.

"Sometimes," Gaunt offered, "I find it more beneficial to believe he's a bit mad. Certainly keeps me sane."

"Why did you _hire_ him?" Jacob demanded.

"Oiy!"

"I didn't," Gaunt replied drily. "I was unavoidably detained outside the country until just a few years ago. John was hired by Ammon while I was gone."

"I'm still here, you know," Smith complained, looking rather like a child who didn't get his way.

"I think they know that," Arcturus commented, picking up a Chance Card. "Mmmm... Get out of jail free. Excellent. Though, admittedly, I don't intend to go there at all..."

"I don't think you get a choice sometimes," Harry informed him, taking his turn. "Ah, bugger." He moved his piece to the jail block. "As I said."

Arcturus smirked. "I'll trade you my card."

"What do you want for it?"

"Water Works."

Harry eyed the Electric Company, which Arcturus already owned. "Let me try and roll doubles next turn. If I can't, I'll trade."

"You _could_ just pay the £50, you know," Gaunt pointed out as Jacob picked up the dice.

"Cuts into the money to buy property," Jacob said, then moved his piece to Regent Street. "I think I'll buy this, Banker Gaunt."

"I think I've been promoted," Gaunt commented, trading the card for £300. "By a fifteen year old, no less."

"How is that promoted?" Harry inquired.

"Bankers make more money."

"Ah."

"Unless you're a goblin," Arcturus commented. "Then you just don't get paid."

"They get paid."

"By who?"

"The bank?"

"Mr Barak is correct," Gaunt cut in, before the boys could argue any more. "The goblins do get paid by the bank, but not by the human Ministry."

"That's because the Ministry is a bunch of bastards," Jacob said with conviction.

"Something which the Dark Lord is attempting to change," Gaunt assured him.

"Well, I think he's going about it the wrong way," Harry offered. "I mean, killing anyone that doesn't immediately agree with you is just stupid."

"Killing at _all_ is stupid," Smith cut in, eyes bright and so very old. "A life is worth so much more than a death."

Before any of the other players could come up with a response to that, Ren came bouncing in "Whatcha playing? And with professors? Ooooh, Monopoly!"

"Ren?" Jacob asked, standing slowly. "What did you take?"

Ren looked confused. "Take? Nothing. Why?"

"You're bouncing," Arcturus supplied drily.

Gaunt coughed. "I believe Mr Miyazaki has just come from Mr Hirayama's room."

"Yeah, actually. How'd you know?"

"Incubi," Jacob groaned, sitting. "Didn't think they'd make you so mad, though."

Harry rolled his eyes and patted the floor behind him. "Come sit, Ren. You can watch us make fools of ourselves."

"Naw, I can do that any day. We're gonna go for a dip in the pond. Wanna come?"

"Well, we're playing..." Harry mumbled.

"Eveningfair always goes topless," Ren offered, grinning madly.

The three students all turned to look at Gaunt, who cocked an eyebrow. "Elves believe in being one with nature. Which means no clothing."

"Bankrupt," Jacob said, then ran for his room.

"Mad, that one," Arcturus commented, reaching around Harry to grab Jacob's properties and handing them over to Gaunt.

Harry, blushing madly, shook his head. "I think we'll continue playing. Don't mind us."

"Awww... Come on, Harry! It's a beautiful sight!"

"Mr Miyazaki, you are dismissed," Gaunt said drily, reminding Ren there were still teachers present.

"Oh, right. Sorry, Professor Gaunt. Bye, boys!" Ren bounced back out of the common room.

Harry groaned and hid his face in his hands. "Let's never talk about this moment again," he told Arcturus.

"Poor, Harry," Arcturus replied with a hint of teasing. "Can't stand the thought of a naked woman."

"Shut it!" Harry hissed, still bright red.

Gaunt and Smith traded amused looks, then Gaunt said, "I believe it's your turn, Mr Longbottom."

"Oh. Right. Thanks, professor."

And so they continued their game.

-0-

"Man, you guys totally missed the best show ever," Jacob told them when he sat down across from his two year mates. Ren and Rai also took seats, with the former looking absolutely dazzled and the latter looking tired.

"Didn't get enough sleep, Rai?" Harry asked, ignoring Jacob.

Rai shrugged. "Too much time in the sun. Made me sleepy."

"And the sex," Ren offered, smirking madly when Harry turned bright red. "Oh, come on, Harry. Teenage boys are supposed to think about sex, not hide from it."

"Ren," Rai said tiredly, "leave him alone."

"He's got to come out of his shell eventually," Ren complained.

"Yeah, but I don't need _your_ help!" Harry snapped, then stood and moved down the table with his dinner, to sit in the open seat next to Smith, who had been teasing Ambrosi again. "Don't mind me."

"Oh, I don't!" Smith declared, dropping an arm around Harry's shoulders. "You can tell me all about Hogwarts!"

Harry peeked around the mad professor at Ambrosi who grinned tiredly at him. "He asks about everyone's schooling, since he didn't get a chance to go to one. Surprised he didn't quiz you yet, considering you spent practically all afternoon with him."

"Pure magic," Harry deadpanned, then turned to Smith. "What do you want to know, then?"

"Oooh, a willing subject. Well, let's see, who were your teachers? What did you think about them. What did you take? I hear your years at Hogwarts have been some of the most exciting yet!" Smith babbled.

Harry couldn't help it, he burst out laughing. When Smith looked mildly hurt, he stopped himself and shook his head. "Sorry, sir. Couldn't help it. Uhm, professors? Well, let's see..."

Down the table, Rai was telling Ren off for scaring Harry away, while Jacob and Arcturus shook their heads.

-0-0-0-0-0-

**A/N:** What, three weeks without updating this? Yikes! Sorry, my lovelies.  
So, I can't force more of this socialising nonsense, this better be enough. If you need something more about the characters, ask and I shall reply. (Or do my best to.)

ALSO! This may or may not update next month. I'm participating in NaNo – because I'm CRAZY – and probably won't have time/the sanity to work on fanfic. So here's your heads up. -sweatdrop-

~Bats ^.^x


	5. The Patronus

**Title:** Wand and Dagger  
**Author:** Batsutousai  
**Beta:** Shara Lunison  
**Rating:** PG-13?  
**Pairings:** undecided, but most likely some form of SLASH  
**Warnings:** OCs, OoC  
**Summary:** The war is coming too quickly for comfort and Harry wonders if it isn't time for him to find a school that will actually teach him what he needs to learn to defeat Voldemort.

**Disclaim Her:** I wonder if it would be cheating to count this chapter as part of my NaNo word count?

-0-0-0-  
_Chapter Five – The Patronus_  
-0-0-0-

The rest of August went much the same as the first week had. Harry spent his free time getting to know his new friends and trading owls with Hermione and Neville. Ren kept trying to teach Harry Dark spells – and mostly succeeding, as he seemed to know what sort of spells a Light wizard would appreciate – while Jacob cheerfully teased Harry every few days about his apparent phobia of naked women – Harry and Arcturus had taken to cursing him silent when one of them got too embarrassed.

Throughout all of it, Ron hadn't gotten his head out of his arse yet, much to Harry's sorrow, and Dumbledore hadn't written him back yet with a memory of Tom Riddle. (Not that Harry minded much, since he hadn't made finding a spell to view the memories much of a priority.) Dumbledore had cleverly crafted an excuse about Harry being abroad for training in the war against Voldemort – for his own safety – to keep the public from wondering about his disappearance once school started back up. He'd briefly penned a letter to Harry, telling him that he would be sending the boy an occasional postcard from various places that he was to write a bit on and send to his friends. Dumbledore also intended to have some gifts sent from those places for his friends' birthdays and Christmas. (So, if Harry wanted to send them something a bit more personal, Dumbledore suggested he do it discreetly.)

Harry was managing about four laps in Physical Combat, and Gaur was gleefully dangling the promise of learning to fight with their chosen weapons once they were all averaging six laps. (Kathy had haughtily commented that she didn't need _him_ to teach her to use a wand. Gaur had grinned nastily in response and said, "Well, Miss Stuck-up, I suppose you'll need to find another weapon, then, won't you? Unless you've forgotten the name of this class?")

Defensive Magics was, as always, proving to be Harry's forte – though Runes and Rituals was coming in as a surprising second – and he often found himself on the receiving end of Ambrosi's demonstrations, since his shield was the strongest and could always hold up. He was, constantly, paired with Kathy during the time Ambrosi gave them to work in pairs, and the two spent the time shooting deadlier and deadlier curses at each other. (Harry actually learned more Dark curses in the library after that class, since he liked to check and see what he'd almost been hit with, in the hopes of knowing how to defend against it in the future.)

Harry _loved_ Runes and Rituals. He had easily surpassed Kathy, much to his glee, and often spent a few quiet hours with Rai on the weekends studying the subject, as they could understand each other. Harry, oddly, seemed to have a natural talent for Runes, like he had for flying, and when he'd mentioned it to Hermione in passing, she replied that Babbling, the Ancient Runes professor at Hogwarts, had said that people with a natural affinity towards Runes weren't really all that rare, though most never realised their affinity, as Runes seemed to be such a dry topic.

Harry's own studies about the curiosity, taught him that Rune Masters, as those with a natural affinity were often called, came into their talent because someone in their distant past had had an accident with a Rune Ward, which had since been made illegal. Since so much of the wizarding world was related, practically anyone with pureblooded great-grandparents on at least one side had the gift, though it was in varying degrees, depending on how many previous family members had been Rune Masters. Since Harry, himself, didn't have any idea about his family's past, he wasn't sure where that put him on the spectrum, but it was clearly above Kathy, which was good enough for him.

Healing was as annoying as the first day had shown it to be. Doe enjoyed briefly teaching them spells, then cursing them and leaving them to fix it themselves. He comment that, "It makes you more likely to learn and remember the lesson," held true, as Harry was quite sure he would never find himself unable to remember how to splint a broken leg or which potion was required to stop the Tumour Curse.

Light Magics was a lot of the offensive side of what Harry knew as Defence Against the Dark Arts, with some added Charms and Transfiguration spells thrown in. Because it was mostly going over what Harry considered to be the basics, it was probably his least favourite class, especially since Kathy wasn't in it to spar with. (As much as Harry hated to admit it, the pureblood girl was what made Defensive Magics fun.)

Probably the best class for Light Magics happened on the fourth of September. Harry had been daydreaming a bit, having already completed the assignment Gygax set for the first years while she worked with the upper years, when Susan Fawcett, the only third year in the class, asked, "Professor Gygax, is there any chance of learning the Patronus Charm? One of my friends at Hogwarts said that a lot of them learned it last year."

Gygax looked surprised, while the rest of the class looked up from their assignments, curious. "I wasn't aware it was on the Hogwarts' curriculum."

"It's not," Susan replied, shaking her head. "Harry Potter taught it in his illegal group."

"A fifth year?" Gygax murmured, surprised. "Impressive. Well, I'm afraid, Miss Fawcett, that _I_ am unable to cast the spell myself, and none of the other staff members can, either."

"Really?" Harry asked, sitting up. "Why not?"

Gygax eyed him darkly. "Most of the staff, as most of you will have noticed by now, is Dark. Dark wizards and witches have always had difficulty casting spells that require such Light feelings, so they usually don't try."

"Then how do they manage with the dementors?" Harry inquired, head tilted to one side curiously. "Erm, sorry, Professor. If you don't mind?"

Gygax's lips twitched with a smile. "There are Dark spells which can keep a dementor at bay, though they are never as useful as the Patronus Charm. Occlumency, I have been told, also helps, though I, myself, am no master of the art."

Arcturus cleared his throat. "Harry, didn't you go to Potter's club sometimes?"

Harry nodded, shrinking in his seat a bit when everyone looked at him. "Well, yeah."

"Did you learn the Patronus?" Susan demanded, leaning forward in her chair. "Could you teach it to us?"

Harry blinked. "Well, yeah. If Professor Gygax doesn't mind?"

Gygax nodded. "Please. I would like to try learning myself."

Harry swallowed, about ten times more nervous with the thought that he'd be teaching his teacher too. "Uhm, well, Potter told us that the key to creating a Patronus is thinking a really, really happy thought. Say, something that you thought, at the time, 'I'm going to treasure this moment for the rest of my life.' You think of that, and you just cast your Patronus."

"It sounds so _simple_," Ren complained, propping his cheek up on his fist.

"The hardest part is performing it under pressure," Harry replied. "Well, and finding a memory good enough. It took me a while to get the spell, since I couldn't think of anything happy enough to hold. Uhm... Oh! If you get a mist, that's still pretty good. But what you _really_ want is a corporeal shape. It usually takes the form of some sort of animal."

"Ooh... Can we see yours?" Pearl asked.

"Sure," Harry agreed. "_Expecto Patronum!_"

A thick mist slid from where his wand was hidden up his sleeve. Harry frowned at it while the rest of the class 'ooh'ed and 'ah'ed over it.

"What's wrong, Harry?" Arcturus asked, noticing his frown.

Harry shook his head and pulled out his wand, then cast the spell properly. When he still only got a mist, he gave his wand a disgusted look and shook it.

"Mr Barak?" Gygax asked. "Is there a problem?"

Harry set his wand on his desk and glared at it briefly. "Yeah, I usually get more than mist, is all. It's usually a st-horse," he corrected, recalling that Harry Potter was fairly well known at Hogwarts for his Patronus form, and two members of his class had gone there.

Gygax eyed the dissipating mist curiously. "So this mist is new?"

Harry nodded.

Gygax hummed a bit, then shrugged. "Well, let's see how many can learn it anyway."

Harry eyed his wand distrustfully for a moment, then picked it up and helped everyone with the spell. When, by the end of class, everyone could cast it, Harry felt better about the class, even if his wand _was_ messing up.

-0-

Harry finished his homework quickly that weekend, then made for the library. After an hour, he managed to find a book about Patroni and sat down to read it.

_'The Patronus Spell is one used to scare away creatures of the Dark, especially dementors. The spell is cast by envisioning a truly happy moment in the caster's life and forcing that happiness into the wand. A proficient caster may be able to create a corporeal Patronus, meaning a Patronus with form.  
'The significance of the Patronus' form has been debated for centuries, as it is different between people and families. Occasionally, one or two casters who are friends will have the same Patronus, with no clear reason.  
'Recent studies by the Department of Mysteries suggest that the form a Patronus takes is that of what a person believes they are protected by, or what they feel they must protect. Because a Patronus is never a human form, the form is always the animal that best represents the protector/protected. In the rare cases this can be verified in, the animal is always the Animagus form of the person in question.  
'However, a Patronus' form is not always set in stone. If the caster goes through a trauma where-in the person they feel they need to protect or who protects them changes, the Patronus will change to reflect that. Sometimes, the Patronus floats for a while in between forms, uncertain, as the caster is, what it should be. Those who have experienced this phenomena have said that simply sitting down and thinking about their priorities has helped their Patronus choose its proper form again.'_

Harry let the book fall closed thoughtfully. Recent trauma? Check! Formless Patronus? Check! Harry looked down at the book. "Think about my priorities? Yeah, that might help. I guess." He got up and put the book away, then went back to his room, where he locked the door and tossed himself on his bed.

His old form had been a stag. At the time, he'd just found out about his father's form and the other three Marauders. He'd also heard his mother's dying words, and his father ordering her to run, saying he'd hold Voldemort off.

James hadn't, of course, but his actions had been the epitome of Gryffindor bravery, something Harry had striven for since he'd been Sorted. So his Patronus had reflected that bravery. It had taken the form of his father's Animagus form, the father he could only remember the dying words of. The father who had died to give Lily and Harry the chance to escape.

Harry supposed that, yes, as a third year, that _would_ have been what made him feel safe. And even after fourth year and the TriWizard Tournament, his father's ghost and his dying bravery had been something Harry had held on to.

It wasn't until he'd learned about how cruel his father had been in school that he'd stopped truly _needing_ to emulate everything about that ideal man. Because James Potter had once been just another bully. Another Dudley or Malfoy. And that wasn't something Harry wanted to be.

Nothing about James Potter could have protected his son against the scorn of the entire wizarding world. Nothing James did or said would have taught Harry Defence from Umbridge, and Harry had grown enough to understand that his Slytherin side wasn't a horrible thing, as he and his friends created an illegal group under Umbridge's nose.

And there was nothing, _absolutely nothing_ that James could have done to save Sirius. There was nothing that ideal Gryffindor could have done against Sirius' killer, and if James hadn't been able to stand up to Voldemort on his own turf, he never would have managed at the Ministry.

James Potter never would have cast an Unforgivable.

James Potter had never had a prophecy hanging over his head, telling him it was kill or be killed.

"No," Harry whispered, "he's no longer my protector. The stag is no longer safe."

But what was, then?

"Myself," Harry realised. "In the end, it's all down to me. No one can protect me but myself. And isn't that why I came here? So I could learn to protect myself? So I could keep people from dying?"

Harry swallowed, raised his arm, and cast, "_Expecto Patronum_."

Black light erupted from Harry's fingers and he found himself staring at a skeleton horse with wings.

"A thestral," Harry breathed, reaching out to touch the spectre. "How..."

There was a knock on his door and Harry almost fell off the bed. "Come in!" he shouted, shooting an unlocking charm at the door.

Jacob walked in with Arcturus behind him. Arcturus froze at the sight of the thestral, but Jacob just walked up to Harry and tossed himself on the boy's bed. "It sure is comfy in here. What have you done with the place?"

Arcturus cleared his throat. "Harry, you know there's a thestral standing in the middle of your room, right?"

"What?! Where?" Jacob demanded, sitting up quickly and looking around.

Harry cocked his head to one side. "A thestral can't be seen by someone who hasn't seen death," he murmured, then looked at the thestral, which had eerily intelligent eyes. "So it's the same for you?"

The thestral nodded and stretched its wings a bit.

"Who're you talking to?" Jacob asked.

"My Patronus," Harry replied softly.

"A black Patronus?" Arcturus asked. "Can it stop a dementor?"

The thestral gave Arcturus a highly affronted look, as if to say, 'Are you calling me worthless, human?'

Arcturus grinned. "Sorry. It's just, who would consider a thestral Patronus material?"

"This is supremely unfair," Jacob announced. "You can both see this Patronus, but I can't!"

"But you can feel it," Harry realised, recalling what Jacob had said when he came in. "You said it felt comfortable in here, but you _hate_ my room; it's too red."

Jacob blinked in surprise and looked at the nearest wall. "Weird. I can _feel_ my hatred of your room, but it's like it's not really there, like it's a trivial problem, and it shouldn't bother me. So it doesn't." He looked at Harry oddly. "That's just wrong. Make it stop."

Arcturus snorted and walked over to Harry's desk chair. "I don't think he can, Jacob."

"Yeah, sorry," Harry agreed, then turned back to the thestral. "You're staying a long time, you know. Most Patroni find out what's wrong, fight it, then leave."

The thestral ruffled its wings and walked over to butt Harry in the forehead, knocking him backwards.

"Woah!" Jacob jumped off the bed, eyeing where he thought the thestral must be suspiciously. "Patroni aren't _that_ solid!"

"This one is," Arcturus commented drily. "Harry, I think he's staying in case you have questions for him or something."

Harry sat back up, rubbing at his head. "Yeah? Well, what's to ask? I think that was– Bugger! So, wait, are you me?" he demanded of the thestral.

The thestral growled agreeably, then faded away, leaving Harry staring after it in surprise.

"It's gone," Arcturus informed Jacob, who was still eyeing his imaginary thestral suspiciously.

Jacob blinked, then grinned. "Oh, yeah, I _hate_ your room, Harry."

Harry snorted in amusement. "I'm glad you're back to yourself, then. So, what brings you two in here?"

"Oh!" Jacob bounced back onto Harry's bed. "Well, you've been working like a nutter, so I don't think you heard, but some of the professors wanted to learn the Patronus too, and Gygax told them they'd have to ask you, since you're the most proficient, even if yours doesn't really..."

"Well, before it wasn't much more than mist. Now not everyone can see it," Arcturus offered, rolling his eyes. "At any rate, since you've been so distracted, Gaunt asked Jacob and myself if we could ask you when you stopped being so busy."

Harry cocked his head to one side. "I don't mind, no. I'll let him know at dinner, I suppose."

Jacob snickered. "Harry, have you looked at a clock lately?"

Harry glanced over at the clock on his wall and blinked. "Huh." Dinner had been over for almost an hour. "Wonder if the elves will give me something to eat if I ask them?"

"Probably," Arcturus agreed. "Might as well go ask. And go by Gaunt's office after."

Harry rolled his eyes and got off his bed. "Yes, mother," he offered, then made shooing motions at his friends, grinning when they both got up and left his room ahead of him.

-0-

Harry knocked cautiously on Gaunt's door, opening the door when he called, "Come in!"

"Professor? You wanted to see me?" Harry asked, stepping into the office. He glanced around the mostly bare room and considered telling Jacob that even their professor hadn't decorated his office, so why should it matter if Harry didn't decorate his room?

Gaunt smiled at him from over a pile of papers. "Yes, please, won't you sit?" He waved at the chair sitting in front of his desk and busied himself with shuffling the papers to one side as Harry sat. "Eliza was telling us yesterday about how you taught the class the Patronus Charm and a number of members of the staff were curious, myself included, about whether you would be willing to teach us. Especially now that the Dark Lord has the dementors under his control."

Harry nodded. "It shouldn't be a problem, though some people might have trouble seeing my Patronus..."

Gaunt cocked his head to one side curiously. "Oh? Eliza said you were having some trouble with it..."

"Yeah. I had to look it up, and, well, it says that when a witch or a wizard goes through a bit of a trauma, their Patronus can change, and sometimes they just need to think about it so it can change. And I thought about it and now mine is a thestral. Works the same way normal thestrals do, since Arcturus and I can see it, but Jacob can't."

"Really? I wasn't aware you'd both seen death."

Harry thought fast. "My grandfather died the beginning of the summer, not long after I sent in my letter to join this school. He's been..." Harry swallowed, thinking about Sirius. "He was everything. I guess I saw him as a bit of a protector, since after his death my Patronus changed, and the book I found said it often reflected who you felt protected by." He shrugged a bit.

Gaunt nodded. "It makes sense. The Patronus was created to combat that which threatened the caster, so it would need to be something that you felt protected by..." He paused, frowning. "A thestral?"

Harry laughed. "Myself."

Gaunt shook his head helplessly. "Right. Gryffindor." He rolled his eyes as Harry continued laughing. "May I see? Your Patronus, I mean."

Harry nodded and forced himself to stop laughing. "Yeah. It's a bit weird, though," he warned, then cast the spell before Gaunt could ask why.

"A black Patronus..." Gaunt whispered, eyeing the thestral with no small amount of awe. "Impressive, Mr Barak."

"I prefer weird, personally," Harry replied drily, eyeing his Patronus with amusement.

The thestral huffed at him and faded away.

Gaunt grinned. "Well, most of the staff have seen death, so that shouldn't be a problem. Now, the people who would like to learn are Alonzo, Gaur, Sally, Rodolphus and myself, of course. I believe we're all free on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday from four until dinner?" Harry nodded in affirmation. "Since you will be the teacher, as it were, we'll let you pick the specific day."

Harry thought about it for a moment, then shrugged and said, "Monday is good enough. If someone can't make it, I can show them another time. I, honestly, don't mind teaching about Patroni; it's kind of a vital bit of knowledge, no matter who you are." He grimaced.

Gaunt nodded. "That's what Gaur said. Do you mind if any students also come? I'm sure some will be curious."

Harry shrugged again. "I don't mind. Though, if Kathy Carrow comes and starts mouthing off about blood purity again, I might refuse to help her. Just warning you."

Gaunt grinned knowingly. He'd already cursed Kathy's tongue off twice and it was only the second month of school. There were bets going around among the professors and students alike about how much longer she'd last before Gaunt either outright killed her, or just kicked her out. "Acceptable," he agreed. "I'll make sure the other professors know, and the rest of the students will likely know by the end of breakfast tomorrow..."

Harry laughed. While Wand and Dagger's grapevine wasn't as impressive as Hogwarts', it was just as quick. And since the professors ate meals at the same table as the students, nothing stayed secret for long. Harry was sometimes impressed that anyone managed to keep a secret at this school, no matter how closely they guarded it.

Gaunt made a note on a muggle notebook to his right. "If that's all, Mr Barak?"

Harry thought for a moment, had a brief debate with himself, then sighed. "That is something else, sir."

Gaunt waved his hand for Harry to continue.

"Well, the book I read about Patroni said that the form the Patronus takes of the person the caster feels protected by in their Animagus form and, well..." Harry trailed off nervously.

Gaunt blinked. "So you think your Animagus form is a thestral?"

Harry nodded. "And when I asked, it nodded, so..." He shrugged.

Gaunt smiled and shook his head. "It's certainly a possibility. It's rare for wizards and witches to be magical Animagi, but not impossible. Goodness knows I am, and so, I believe, is Albus Dumbledore."

"What are you?" Harry asked, then quickly added, "If you don't mind. Sorry."

Gaunt chuckled a bit. It seemed that Harry was always apologising for possibly overstepping his bounds. His professors would occasionally joke about it, as they did about all the students' quirks. "A basilisk," he said in answer. "I wonder if that might be my Patronus, now that I think about it..."

"Terrifying concept," Harry replied. "Just make sure to tell your allies to turn away when you call it out. Just in case."

Gaunt nodded, chuckling. "Rather. Especially if your thestral is anything to go by. Now! You were asking about Animagus training, I believe?"

Harry reddened slightly at being figured out. "Yeah. I always wanted to learn, anyway. Not sure if anyone would be willing to teach me is all..."

Gaunt hummed a bit. "Well, since I can already do it, I could probably teach you. And since your form is potentially magical, it would probably be best. I suppose you teaching the staff the Patronus Charm deserves some sort of reimbursement..."

Harry shook his head. "Slytherin logic."

"Wonderful thing, isn't it?" Gaunt replied teasingly. "I wouldn't mind teaching you, Mr Barak, but I'm afraid you might have to give up one of your free periods for it."

Harry nodded thoughtfully. Gaunt would want to leave his weekends free for any students who needed him for something. So which free period would Harry want to give up? "Wednesdays from four until dinner? I'd say Thursday, but I think you'd rather be free to run upstairs to save Smith's classroom. Just in case."

Gaunt laughed at the accurate mental image. There had been a few times on Thursdays when he had to run upstairs to do just that and saw Harry and Arcturus sitting out by the stairwell, eyeing the classroom hallway like it might try and eat them if they moved too suddenly. "Probably wise. Then I will see you in here on Wednesday after your Light Magics class. Is that acceptable?"

"Brilliant," Harry agreed.

Gaunt nodded. "If something comes up that I must attend to, I will leave a note on my door."

Harry nodded in understanding. "Okay."

Gaunt smiled and eyed the timepiece on his desk. "Is that all, Mr Barak?"

Harry grinned. "Yeah. Thanks a lot, sir."

"Have a good night, Mr Barak."

"You too, Professor Gaunt!" Harry called over his shoulder, letting the door close gently behind him.

Gaunt shook his head in amusement. "Gryffindors. Always making trouble, whether intentional or not."

-0-0-0-0-0-

**A/N:** WE HAVE A WEBSITE!! Link is in my bio.  
Also, this site and I had issues. It had a limit on how many pages I was allowed. Plus, it's one of those fancy, do it for you, really easy site builders. -grumble- I'm used to the days when you could have as many pages as you wanted, and you had to code everything yourself. But I couldn't find a site like that. -whine-  
But there you go.

~Bats ^.^x

P.S. - Shara has been super sad lately, and a sad beta makes for a sad author (especially when said beat and author live together) so I think you should all go read her fics and review them! Because that will cheer her up! (Honest.)


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